Interesting Times
by socchan
Summary: Chaos shifts its intrests as Nabiki is forced to deal with various curses. Kuno/Nabiki in later chapters. Complete!
1. A Cat's Whisker Curse

Interesting Times

By socchan

Prologue: A Cat's Whisker Curse

Nabiki Tendo had no idea why she was drawn into the small out-of-the-way store. In fact, she had no idea where the store had come from, or why she had never seen it before, so perhaps it was curiosity that drove her—but we all know what happens with curiosity. Still, she had gone in, and now she marveled at the strange and rare sights that surrounded her. She bent low to examine the contents of a green persimmon pot with cracked paint near the bottom*; it was a fine pungent powder, gray in color, and it made her fingers itch when she picked up a pinch to identify its smell. She sneezed, abruptly.

"Can I help you?"

Nabiki whirled around, slamming the lid down on the pot to see a vaguely Spanish woman with dark tumbling curls standing behind the counter. She had an accent that Nabiki couldn't place, and her dark eyes glinted with unspoken mischief. "I-I was just looking around…" Nabiki said, frustrated with herself at being caught so unaware that she would stutter. That hadn't happened in years, and she couldn't help but blame the strange woman for it.

The woman laughed, the sound chiming like bells in the tiny shop. "Feel free to do so, then, but be careful what you handle. Some of the items in here are more than a little dangerous."

Nabiki leveled a suspicious gaze at the woman, who met it unflinching. Nabiki was unnerved to realize that she couldn't read the woman's eyes. For the first time in almost as long as she could remember, Nabiki yielded. "I'll be careful," She said.

As Nabiki looked around the store, the woman rummaged around the back room. Nabiki felt almost overwhelmed as her eyes settled on different things: a dagger with large colored crystals on the hilt, an incense burner shaped like a sea shell, a stuffed crow, a back-scratcher labeled 'human bone'. She began to realize that despite its outward appearances, this was far from an ordinary shop. It was when she moved to examine the artifacts in the display case that she was finally drawn in by something other than the persimmon pot.

It was a set of seven claws, each a different color of the rainbow and all about a centimeter long, though there was a slight variation in sizes. It was when she reached forward to touch them that the woman noticed her.

"Oh, you want the Cat's Wishes, do you?"

Nabiki jumped; the woman had surprised her again, which was twice in the same hour. She was certainly a force to be reckoned with. "The what?" Nabiki asked, not taking her eyes away from the claws.

"The Cat's Wishes." The woman replied.

"What do they do?" Nabiki said, moving to get a better view of them.

The woman shrugged. "They cut down on the negative affects of curses and the like."

Nabiki's eyes snapped up at this, drawn away from the claws for the first time since having been caught by them. "Curses? As in, Jusenkyo curses?"

The woman thought a moment. "Well, I suppose it would work… but I'd have to do some research to make sure. To be certain, it would work at least half the time…"

"How much?" Nabiki demanded.

The woman's eyes glinted, but Nabiki did not notice; she was once again staring intently at the claws. "One thousand, five hundred yen for the set."

Nabiki dug two thousand yen from her pocket and set it on the counter. Business was a little slow at the moment, but she could afford it. Nabiki felt she couldn't afford _not_ to buy it. "Here." She said, "Keep the change."

Smiling, the woman took the seven necklaces out of the display case, and wrapped six of them up; the seventh she strung around Nabiki's neck. "For luck," she said, wearing a small smile. "If you come back later, I can have more info on the Wishes' affect on Jusenkyo curses."

Nabiki smiled and nodded, clutching the package close to her chest, not wanting to let go of it. "Thank you," she said, nodding. Quickly, she backed out of the store, almost tripping over one of the objects lying on the floor. She turned around and stumbled out of the shop; no one was going to get this cure from her.

The woman watched her go from the doorway, a familiar smirk on her lips. "May you live in interesting times," she whispered to the retreating girl's back, then went back into her store, dusting her hands off. The store squeezed out of existence, the buildings on either side pushing together to fill the space, but she was unworried. Nabiki would be able to find her again. In fact, she would want very much to return if the Cat's Wishes had any potency left.

In the un-space where the shop dwelled when it was not needed in real-space, the store owner dug up a rather dusty shard of green crystal. Humming, she polished it up, and whispered to it to reveal what had happened in that curious girl's life to make her choose the Cat's Wishes—and to make her handle the Cursed Whisker powder. A smile formed as she watched the events unfold, then she laughed outright. "Oh, this is rich!" she exclaimed. "Just rich! Who would've guessed her sister attracts curses?"

As Nabiki hurried home, a frown creased her forehead as she finally identified the smell of the powder from the persimmon pot. "Catnip…"

=^-,-^=

*Green persimmon pot borrowed without permission from 'Usagi Yojimbo' by Stan Sakai. In other words, not mine.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is property of Rumiko Takahashi, and therefore, not mine. I make no claim of it, and this piece of fan fiction is written purely for entertainment, not for money. The Cat's Wishes and Cursed Whisker powder are my concepts, so you'd better ask before using them—or at least give me some credit. Thanks much!

Special thanks to my absolutely impeccable editor, Mao, for proofreading this entry, even without any prior knowledge of the Ranma story line. Any grammatical or punctuation errors are probably just me trying to correct the things he pointed out.

Please note that this is my first Ranma fic, so I invite all reviewers to do their worst. Don't go easy on me, or I'll never be ready for the big time. Trial by fire, y'know? Thanks, that's all.

--socchan


	2. NabikiNeko's Late Night Prowl

Interesting Times

By socchan

Chapter One: Nabiki-neko's Late Night Prowl

Sometime around midnight, Nabiki-neko awoke and left the warm comfort of her large fluffy bed to prowl. She looked around, her cat's eyes able to pick up more in the darkness than her human ones, and noted the slightly open window. She leapt up onto her desk and nosed it open enough for a lone cat to squeeze through.

Suddenly, she was free in the night. It was an amazing feeling; her senses were flooded with sounds and scents that she never would have experienced as a human: here, the rustling of a cricket as it hopped out of her way, and there, a mouse's heartbeat, almost a hum, speeding up as it sensed her presence. Fear washed over it, pungent and sweet, and Nabiki-neko reveled in its scent, never before having picked up the much-loved odor.

She ignored the mouse as she walked past it, tails waving slightly, uninterested. Paper rustled as the mouse dashed away from her to its nest, where it would spend a good fifteen minutes recovering from its brush with death, before hunger drove it out again into the cold unforgiving world to search for food. Nabiki-neko allowed her walk to take on a certain smug air—she liked having people fear her. And well they should be. The night-world of the city, or anywhere for that matter, was a dangerous place to be if you were not a cat.

The velvet darkness flowed around Nabiki-neko as she made her way to the Store-That-Was-Not-A-Store.

Scratching at the back door alerted the shop owner that Nabiki-neko had arrived. She smiled quietly and opened it a crack to allow the cat entry. Nabiki-neko dashed in, twin tails erect, yowling in indignant thanks.

"You're welcome," the woman said, the same smug smile on her face. She pulled a chair out from the back room table so her 'customer' could get up, then set out a saucer of cream for Nabiki-neko and some tea for herself. When she was finally ready, she sat across from the cat, hands folded neatly beneath her chin, still smiling. "Now, Nabiki," the woman addressed the feline in front of her, "what brings you here tonight."

Nabiki-neko muttered darkly in that secret language only cats knew, and glared at the woman in front of her. The woman laughed.

"You're right," she told the cat, "I don't need a translator to understand you, and it _was_ awfully rude of me not to introduce myself to you. You'll forgive me for not getting up," she said ruefully, "but I just sat down, and I'm getting on in years."

Nabiki-neko yowled in disagreement.

The woman laughed. "I'm much older than I look, Nabiki Tendo, and I just had a rather long day in the store." She smirked. "But you know better than to ask a woman about her age." She ran a finger over the rim of her teacup, and glanced at Nabiki-neko. "My name is Carmella. By the way, that cream's not poisoned, and will only get warmer sitting there."

Nabiki-neko gave an indignant swish of her tails, then bent to taste the cream as if it was her idea in the first place. The woman laughed lightly, and Nabiki-neko was reminded of her thoughts earlier that day…

=^-,-^= Flashback =^-,-^=

Nabiki walked in the gates of the Tendo family home, clutching the package holding the other six Wishes. She smiled as she watched the antics of her little sister and her fiancée.

"Pervert!" the cry of the indignant Akane sounded, who had just undoubtedly tossed Ranma through the wall. A second crash told Nabiki that he had probably hit the fence instead of flying into the Koi pond as he usually did.

"I didn't do nuttin'!" Ranma's voice said, "I just came home, and there she was, lyin' on my bed like that! It wasn't my fault!"

"Oh, Ranma dear!" an unfamiliar female voice floated to Nabiki's ears; Nabiki groaned and smiled. It sounded as if Ranma had another wayward fiancée to deal with, and Akane, obviously, had gotten jealous and forgotten to think. Annoying it might be, but Nabiki wasn't one to turn her nose up at free entertainment. Besides, there were few other ways she knew of to get excitement in her life.

Nabiki walked in the front door and slipped off her shoes. "I'm home!" she called.

"Welcome back!" Kasumi said, sticking her head briefly out the kitchen door, customary smile on her face.

Nabiki smiled back at her sister. She doubted Kasumi was in much danger of being cursed. Seeing her younger sister's smile, Kasumi ducked back into the kitchen, presumably to work on dinner. Fumbling into a pair of slippers, Nabiki ascended the stairs to her room to change out of her school uniform. She glanced out the window before closing the blinds, and smiled as she watched her sister and Ranma argue, the forgotten 'extra' fiancée watching off to the side. Akane was a lot more likely to be cursed, Nabiki realized, than most of her other family members, but considering her relationship with Ranma, she didn't think that she would need to give a Wish to her. _However Akane's cursed,_ Nabiki mused, _Ranma will be right there with her trying his damnedest to get it off again. He'll probably succeed, too. _Nabiki closed the shade, and took her uniform off.

Clad in only undergarments, Nabiki regarded the violet claw dangling around her neck. _It must have been given to me for a reason, and I've seen too many curses and other magical paraphernalia to take things like this lightly, especially since Ranma came. Besides, I don't want to end up cursed._ (In hindsight, Nabiki supposed this was a very stupid thought.)

Nabiki didn't think she would mind if Genma was cursed again—frankly, he deserved it—so if he wanted a Wish, he would have to pay through the nose. Maybe she'd add a humiliating task onto it, just for fun.

Ranma, on the other hand, she felt she owed the Wish. Without him, she might never have realized her place in the world: an extortionist. Nor might she have ever realized that life could be more exciting than it had been, even if that excitement was rarely centered on her. Her little sister might never be happy without him as well. Besides, after how much she'd already exploited from him, and all the stress he'd gone through because of her (though most of it was cleverly, and perhaps thinly, disguised matchmaking) he deserved to have _some_ relief.

Nabiki ran different ideas through her head of what to make Ranma do in exchange for a Wish. After all, she _had_ shelled out two thousand yen for the set of 'em, and though she felt he _did_ need some relief, his ultimate reward would be Akane and her happiness. The way things were going nowadays, she probably wouldn't be able to have much more fun with him. If she let her mercenary mask slip for even one charitable moment, people might think she had gone soft and decide to try and take advantage of it—Lord only knew she would in the same circumstances. Besides, yen was yen, and it was decidedly hard to break old habits.

A loud shout could be heard from the back yard, followed by a **THWACK!**, so Nabiki rushed downstairs posthaste to catch all the details she could on the latest fiancée fiasco. Life with Ranma would no doubt be short lived, and Nabiki intended to get the most she could of it before things got boring again. She went to sleep that night thinking of the possibilities for the Cat's Wishes, and awoke shortly thereafter as a two-tailed cat.

=^-,-^= Flashback Ends =^-,-^=

"How _do_ you know my name, anyway?" Nabiki-neko mewed, licking the last of the cream from her whiskers.

Carmella shrugged. "There are a few basic facts I can pick up about a person simply by looking at them. It's all in their aura—sort-of like DNA, only with personal information as opposed to genetics. I can get your name, the number of close family members you have, and other general information like that. It's all there if you know how and where to look*."

Nabiki-neko gave her a disapproving glare; she did not like such vital stats available to the public eye. The woman caught the glare, and smiled faintly, guessing what Nabiki-neko was thinking. "Of course, like DNA, few people have the ability or resources to actually see it. Most moderate-level mind readers can pick it up easily, as well as basic mediums and other psychics, but other than that, you don't need to worry much about it." Carmella refilled her teacup. "Now, let's move on to more interesting subjects. I'm sure you've already figured out the advantages and disadvantages of being a cat like this."

"Yes," Nabiki-neko growled, unhappy. "I can go a lot of places my human form can't, but I'm going to have to restrict the number of people who see me because two-tailed cats are believed to be vampires. That seriously cuts down on my 'hiding in plain sight' element." _Though it does a lot towards me finally getting an adventure._

Carmella nodded her head sadly. "I know. A good number of believed vampires that were assassinated were actually people under the same curse as you."

Nabiki was unsurprised the unusual shape she took was a curse. "Plus, this form would scare the bejesus out of Ranma if he ever caught sight of me like this. Can't tell if that's a good thing or a bad thing, though." Carmella snorted into her cup. "How did I get this, anyway? And will I always turn into a cat at night?"

"Well, you got it from examining the contents of that green persimmon pot and getting some on your fingers. Just for the record, it's called Cursed Whisker powder. And no, you won't turn into a cat every night. Only on full moons. You'll be more-or-less anthropomorphic** on 'half' moons, and a catgirl on new moons, but you'll always have the two tails. You'll otherwise remain human. You might want a calendar with the phases of the moon in it." She glanced to Nabiki-neko's neck. "On the plus side, that Wish should make sure you are able to keep your human mind when in a cat-form, and allow you to control whether or not less-adept people are able to understand your cat noises." Carmella sighed. "That Wish is used up, though."

Nabiki-neko nodded in understanding. "How do I get a Wish to work against Jusenkyo curses?"

Carmella's eyes glinted. "I was wondering when you'd get around to asking me about that. Concerned for your sister's fiancée, are you?"

If it were possible for a cat to blush, that is what Nabiki-neko would have been doing. Instead, she just laid her ears flat back on her head, looking like a thoroughly embarrassed kitty. "Could you read that in my aura, too?"

Carmella laughed. "No, I couldn't. I could read that you had a male friend you considered family, that one of your sisters cared deeply for him, and he for her, and that there was something unusual about him, but I had to consult… other sources for the rest. His name is Ranma and he turns into a girl when splashed with cold water, correct?" Nabiki-neko nodded, still embarrassed. Carmella nodded, too. "Good. Well, you'll be happy to know that yes, the Wishes would keep him from turning into a girl _as long as he wore one_, but you'll have to find out which one will work best. Yes, they will all work, but one will work better than the others, and you'll be happy to know it's not the one around your neck. That's about all I can tell you about them, other than you'll have to find good uses for the other five, and I do _not_ mean soliciting. I know your hobbies, Nabiki Tendo." She met Nabiki-neko's gaze squarely, and Nabiki-neko found she had to look away after more than a moment of it.

"I understand," she mewed pityingly.

Carmella nodded. "Good. It shouldn't be too difficult—this is the sort of charm that likes to be helpful, and has a habit of… hurrying things along, shall we say, in order to be useful. You'll know which one is right when the time comes."

Nabiki-neko nodded again, in thanks, then jumped down from the table. As she was about to walk out the door, she was stopped by Carmella's voice.

"And Nabiki." Nabiki-neko looked over her shoulder at the woman. "Just for future reference, someone you know attracts curses." Nabiki-neko nodded one last time, then walked out the door.

Carmella watched the retreating cat's form disappear into the night, and sighed. "Ah, Nabiki," she said, a bit sadly, "I don't believe those curses will make it easy for you." Then she went to tidy up the shop that was not a shop for her next would-be customer.

=^-,-^=

*I don't know if this is true or not, not being able to read auras myself, but for the sake of the story, I'm going to go with it. If you're the type of person who doesn't believe in that sort of thing, I have no idea why you're reading Ranma fan fiction in the first place. If you actually know better, you can correct me, but I'm not going to change it because some of the story elements don't work as well without it. If you want to correct me, but don't wish to do so through the review system where pretty much anyone can see what you said, feel free to e-mail me. Sorry if it's wrong, but now you know my reasoning, so you can't exactly justify a flame. For those of you interested in this, don't listen to me, I don't know what I'm talking about! Go get yourself a copy of Joy's Way, and stop bugging me for info. It should all be in there.

**Anthropomorphism: The attribution of human shape or characteristics to gods, objects, animals, etc. ß copyright Websters. For those of you in the trade, 'Furry'. For those of you who aren't, think Bugs Bunny, or even Sonic the Hedgehog, and you'll get a basic idea. Stand a cat upright, give it basic humanoid form (in this case female), keep the fur and give it hair, and viola! Half-moon Nabiki.

Dude, freaky… I never actually expected to get reviews… Especially from people I didn't know… Uh, keep it up if you feel like it, and please, no holding back. I know I made mistakes in here (but if you haven't noticed them I won't point them out… At least, not till later.). Seriously. I'm used to taking crap. Not that I'm masochistic or anything… It's just, you know, a test of will. Ah, well.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is property of Rumiko Takahashi, and therefore, not mine. I make no claim of it, and this piece of fan fiction is written purely for entertainment, not for money. The Cat's Wishes and Cursed Whisker powder are my concepts, and Carmella is my character, so you'd better ask before using them—or at least give me some credit. Thanks much!

--socchan


	3. The Fall of Kuno

Interesting Times

By socchan

Chapter Two: The Fall of Kuno

Nabiki-neko crawled back into bed very early in the morning indeed, still tired from her night's romp, but excited none-the-less. At last, after all that had happened to Ranma and Akane, she would finally be doing something interesting. Not that extorting people wasn't interesting, she admonished, it had its perks; it just wasn't _as_ interesting as some of the things they had done. Plus, she wouldn't have to worry about where to find adventure if Ranma ever went away. Content and sleepy, Nabiki-neko nosed under the covers of her bed, and drifted off to sleep.

Nabiki awoke early the next morning to the sounds of birds chirping outside. She stretched and yawned, then stopped abruptly to examine herself for cat fur. Satisfied, Nabiki fingered the violet claw at her neck, and got ready for school.

Breakfast that morning was as eventful as ever, with Ranma's sharp-tongued insults and her younger sister's hotheaded replies. Nabiki was used to all of this, and watched today with a different kind of scrutiny, not looking for blackmail material, but for ways the Wishes might work.

__

I might be able to use the red one to help Akane's anger problems, Nabiki mused, _Or the blue one to cool that hot temper of hers, but I don't think that's what they were meant for. I could use the green one to help her realize when and why she's jealous, but it doesn't quite fit her, and I still have to make sure to use the right one on Ranma._ She glanced down at the claw around her neck. _Besides,_ she thought, _Carmella said I would know when and on whom to use them, and I'm not getting any inspiration from these two. Sure, I'm getting a slight pulse from Ranma, so I know he's meant to have one, but nothing is coming from Akane._ Nabiki looked carefully at Ranma, trying to see him the way the Wishes wanted her to. After a few minutes of this with no results, Nabiki sighed and gave up. She supposed she would know which one to use when the time came; she just hated waiting for it.

Nabiki glanced at the clock. With a start, she realized that if she didn't hurry, she would not have enough time to collect on bets before school. She gulped down the rest of her breakfast, snatched her bag, and left with a hasty "Later, little sis!" tossed over her shoulder. Neither Akane nor Ranma noticed it, as they were too busy arguing with one another.

Nabiki dashed towards school as she had not in years, dodging in and around people and other obstacles, afraid she would miss whatever show would be in store that day, be it the traditional Kuno challenge, or something more unusual.

Nabiki sighed in relief when Furinkan High came into sight, but did not slow down. Instead, she added the last bit of speed and adrenaline she had been saving to sprint the remaining distance. She was nowhere near as fast as Ranma, or even her sister, but she could be pretty damn fast when she wanted to. The cloud of dust trailing after her was evidence enough of that.

Abruptly, her progress towards the school was halted as she slammed into a warm solid force. She fell backwards, dropping her bag and landing hard on her butt. Under her breath she cursed whomever it was that had the audacity to run into her.

"Accursed knave! Who is it that has interrupted my holy quest to free Akane and the Pigtailed Girl from that sorcerer Saotome's evil influence?!"

__

Oh, great, Kuno. Muttering darkly, Nabiki got to her feet and brushed off her posterior, bending only once to retrieve her lost bag. "It's only me, Kuno." She said, slightly peeved.

Tatewaki Kuno, who, it seemed, had also just gotten up, looked at her and blinked. "Nabiki Tendo?"

"The one and only." She said sarcastically, arms crossed over her chest.

Kuno looked at her, then over his shoulder at the school, then back at her. "But if that is truly you, Nabiki," he said, confusion evident, "why are you not already in the school? Methinks you would normally be conducting business at this hour, unless…" Kuno perked up, and leaned towards her. "Unless, perhaps, you have some secret for me as how to win the hearts of my two loves?" He looked so perversely hopeful, Nabiki might have laughed, had she not found it so sickening herself.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Kuno-baby, but I just got a bit of a late start this morning." She said, letting a hint of fatigue show. She didn't mind dropping her guard a bit in front of Kuno—she severely doubted he would tell anyone that 'Lady Shiva' had feelings, or if he did, that anyone would believe him. She did rather like having such a safe relationship with one of her 'customers', though you'd be hard pressed to get her to admit it. She smiled a bit at this thought. "Tell you what, Kuno-baby, meet me in the second floor corridor at lunch, and I'll have some pictures for you."

His disappointed look faded at this remark to be lit with happiness. "Very well then, Nabiki. I shall meet with you at the appointed time and place. Now, I am certain you have other ventures to attend to, so I leave you to your business." Kuno turned to face the school gate, a determined smile plastered on his face.

"Alright then, Kuno-baby, see you then." Nabiki said, smiling. She felt a twinge of something that might have been sadness as she watched him stare into the space where Akane and Ranma would soon appear, but pushed it away. She didn't have time for things like that. With one last glance at Kuno, Nabiki headed inside. She frowned a little as something tugged at the back of her mind, but ignored it as nothing, and continued on her way.

Business was profitable, as usual, but Nabiki found herself pre-occupied during class, and the minutes seemed to drag on forever. Her mind seemed to want to travel back to that morning and the strange feeling she had gotten from Kuno. She examined and re-examined it mentally, but could make no sense of it, and still her mind refused to leave her alone. Luckily, most of the teachers knew better than to call on her when she didn't want to be called on, so the morning passed uneventfully. Still, it was a relief when Nabiki finally heard the lunch bell ring.

At once Nabiki effortlessly calculated the speed at which Kuno would eat, and decided she had enough time to finish up her won meal before she left. Within a matter of minutes, her bento box was empty—a speed eating technique she had developed to make sure she always reached her destination before her customers, a combination of reflexes training, and compact food that let her finish fast and still get the nutrients she needed. It was a process she had perfected years ago, but usually kept hidden because it wasn't needed. With it, she reached the hallway and had only to wait two minutes before the Kendo captain arrived.

"Ah, Nabiki, punctual as usual, I see."

Nabiki put on her best 'business' smile, and addressed him. "Ah, Kuno-baby. Eager as ever, I see. Ready for your daily supply of perverted pictures?"

Kuno winced. "I would that you did not call them such unattractive names," he said, obviously pained.

Nabiki waved it away. "Pish-posh, Kuno. It's just what they are—fuel for your sick obsessions." Mentally, Nabiki was surprised at the venom with which she spoke. "Tell you what, Kuno-baby, choose between my sister and that red-haired girl and I'll sell you that set ten percent off." It really was a decent offer, Nabiki knew.

Kuno stared at her in horror. "You know that I could not do such a thing. To embrace one would ensure the other would fall into the hellish grasp of that fiend Saotome, and I could not do that to either of them, much less deny one of them my love. I would no sooner do that than deny them entry to the gates of heaven."

"But you're hurting them both by not choosing one of them" Nabiki pointed out, not at all sure why she was saying it. After all, she made good money off of his obsessions.

Kuno looked away, eyes full of despair. "You think that I do not know that? I would that I had it in my power to choose between the two, but alas, I do not." He sighed, closing his eyes. "Thus, I must openly seek both, so as not to do one the greater harm of seeking the other."

"What if I had a way for you to choose?" As soon as the words left her mouth, Nabiki realized what was going on: on of the Wishes had found itself a use in Kuno, and wanted her to present it to him. _So_ that's _why I haven't been able to control what I say… Though I would like it if they could find a better way of telling me something's up._

Kuno's head snapped towards her. "You have such a device?"

Nabiki looked at him, startled and a bit embarrassed. "Well, yes." She found herself saying.

Kuno dropped to his knees in front of her. "Nabiki Tendo, help me choose between my two loves, help me to see which love is more pure!"

"I…er…um…" was all Nabiki could manage.

Kuno shook his head and chuckled. "Ah, yes, of course, there is a price. There would be." He looked directly into her eyes, and Nabiki's heart stung, but the motion was overwhelmed by the pulsation energy filling her from one of the Wishes. "How much?" Kuno asked.

"Five yen." Nabiki started, focusing intently on Carmella's advice not to abuse the power the Wishes gave her.

"Sold!" Kuno declared, flipping a coin to her. Nabiki deftly caught it.

"Very well," she said, drawing on of the necklaces out of her pocket with her left hand, an indigo claw hanging from it. She lipped the five yen into her other pocket. "Put this on; it will help you decide whom you really love." Nabiki was astonished to find that she had to fight to keep her voice steady as she said this.

Kuno took the Wish from her, and rose to his feet. "Thank you, Nabiki Tendo. I am forever in your debt."

She wanted to point out that this was already painfully obvious, but found herself saying something quite different. "You're welcome, Kuno. Any time." Nabiki clapped her hands over her mouth; if word of this got out, she would loose all power.

Kuno smiled crookedly at her, and bowed deeply. Then, without another word, he slipped the Wish around his neck, and passed out. Nabiki looked at the unconscious Kuno in panic, and did the only thing she could think of: mustering all her strength, she slung the sleeping Kendoist over her shoulder, and ran as fast as she could to Carmella's shop.

=^-,-^=

Okay, what do all you people think you're doing? You're reviewing my fic, and you're _complimenting_ it. Here I was, all prepared for the worst, and now this happens. Maybe I'm just not doing a lousy enough job. Not that I don't appreciate it, but, well, it's disturbing. Ah, well. Can't have everything I want in life. (BTW, BlazeStryker? You're on the right track. By Chapter Seven, all the readers should have it figured out. I'll positively scream if you guess the ending, though.)

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is property of Rumiko Takahashi, and therefore, not mine. I make no claim of it, and this piece of fan fiction is written purely for entertainment, not for money. The Cat's Wishes and Cursed Whisker powder are my concepts, and Carmella is my character, so you'd better ask before using them—or at least give me some credit. Thanks much!

--socchan


	4. The Problems With Kuno

Interesting Times

By socchan

Chapter Three: The Problems with Kuno

"Carmella!" Nabiki called, bursting into the shop, Kuno draped unceremoniously over her shoulder. "Carmella, where are you?!"

"Nabiki? Is that—oh, dear." Carmella said, coming out from the back room. "Now Nabiki," she chided, "I knew I told you to fulfil those Wishes purposes, but I didn't quite mean you should knock people out to do it. Couldn't you think of a way to get him to accept it willingly?"

Nabiki rolled her eyes, and let out an exasperated breath. "Carmella," she said, "If you're not going to help, then I should just leave."

Carmella held up her hands. "Sorry, sorry." She said with a grin. "It's just too much fun to tease you. Now come on," she continued, turning around and beckoning, "You can put your boyfriend in here."

"Finally" Nabiki sighed in relief, then tensed. "He is **not** my boyfriend!" Carmella's laugh chimed in response.

"You sound so much like your sister when you say that," she said, the smile evident in her voice.

Nabiki turned pale and growled at this statement, and only resisted the urge to storm in after Carmella because Kuno was still unconscious on her back, instead opting to follow at a more humane speed.

They lay Kuno on Carmella's bed, face-up, the indigo claw hanging slightly outside his gi. "So what exactly happened to him?" Carmella asked.

"Well," Nabiki said, a bit nervously, "I was going to sell him some pictures—don't give me that look!—when I kinda felt a… tug, I guess, from one of the Wishes, and everything I was going to say sort-of came out wrong, kinda like I was being controlled or something. Which I didn't much like, by the way. So I figured out that it was just one of the Wishes finding its purpose, and kinda accidentally sold it to him for five yen. Which," she pointed out, hurriedly, "was the lowest price that came to mind, and is hardly anywhere near the two thousand I paid for all seven. Besides, after dealing with me for so long, he probably sort-of expected to pay me _something_, and I can't have my rep ruined by giving it to him for free. So he took the necklace and put it on, and then he passed out. I did the first thing I could think of, which was to come here." Nabiki finished up, worriedly.

Carmella's eyebrows had periodically risen throughout the story. "I see…"

"So can you tell me what's wrong with him?" Nabiki's eyes darted back and fourth between Carmella and the sleeping Kuno.

"You seem awfully concerned with him for someone who's only a friend…"

"Would you just shut up and tell me what's wrong with him before his team of family lawyers jumps me?!"

Carmella tried very hard not to smile at that last line, and for the most part was successful. She could tell the girl in her shop cared a good deal more for the boy on the bed than perhaps even she realized. "Alright," she said, and walked over to inspect Kuno.

Nabiki watched with rising panic as Carmella checked Kuno over, periodically sprinkling him with strange herbs or chanting incantations in an unfamiliar language. She bit down on the feeling, and reminded herself that she was only worried about loosing the money source and not Kuno himself. Still, she couldn't help but watch with more than a hint of worry.

Finally, Carmella sighed and backed away from Kuno's body. Looking up, she noticed Nabiki's expression and smiled, beckoning her to come look.

Nabiki walked hesitantly up to the bed, as if afraid of what she would find there. There she saw Kuno's sleeping form, breathing slow and even, eyes closed gently. She held back the urge to ruffle the unconscious boy's hair. "Will he be alright?" Her voice was small and anxious as she stared at him.

"He'll be fine," Carmella assured her. "I've never seen anyone so resistant to curses… or with so many on him…"

Nabiki looked up at Carmella, startled. "Pardon?"

"Look at him like when you're a cat and you'll see what I mean."

Nabiki closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, trying to recall what the world had seemed like as a cat. At once she felt the air around her tingling with magic. The scent of old spells filled her nose, and she sneezed. She opened her eyes and looked at Kuno.

Despite the usual lack of color, Nabiki knew she saw things much better this way. Any bold color she detected she instinctively knew involved magic. She focused on the boy in front of her, and color swam over her neko-vision. Here a spot of red, there a touch of purple, there green. The colors shifted and flowed like a river over Kuno, making Nabiki a little dizzy. A constant spot of white stood out on his chest where the indigo cat's claw rested, fighting for control of the swirling colors. "Wow…" Nabiki breathed. "Are those spells?"

She felt rather than saw Carmella's nod. "Yes, they are. Cats have the uncanny ability to sense when a spell is being used, which is probably why fate willed you to touch the Cursed Whisker powder. Your friend Kuno is unconscious because the Wish you gave him is partially relying on his natural resistance to cancel out the curses."

Nabiki went back to watching the Wish's struggle for dominance. The white light steadily gained ground, faltering a few times as the curses tried to fight back. Nabiki let out a sigh of relief when the white finally took control, and slipped out of neko-vision.

"He'll probably need a few hours to recover. The Wish was pretty draining of his resources. He'll be fine in a little while, though."

"That's good to hear. By the way, is the next wish going to take control of me like that, too?"

"It shouldn't have to, now that you can recognize the feelings they project when they want to be used." Carmella went over to the stove and put some tea on, then gestured for Nabiki to sit across from her at the table. After just a few minutes of uncomfortable silence (Nabiki suspected another spell in the works) the tea was ready, and Carmella poured them each a cup. She sat down across from Nabiki and looked directly into her eyes. "Now…" she said, eyeing the girl in front of her, "you're not really 'just friends' with Master Kuno over there." Her tone made sure Nabiki knew she owed Carmella a reply. The girl sighed into her cup.

"I don't really have many friends…" she started simply, gazing off to the right. "Most of the ones I do have don't exactly trust me as far as they could throw me, and I've accepted that, but Kuno, for some reason, is different. Maybe he's just naïve, or maybe it's just the curses, but I'd like to think it's actually friendship. I'm almost as open with him as I am with my sisters, and the margin of difference is hair thin. He's probably seen things even they haven't. it may be that he sees me as just a supplier, but I'd like to think it's something more. I know I'd be hurt, jealous even, if he found a new source. Even if he got a girlfriend I'd be jealous, because I wouldn't be able to see him as often, even if it _was_ only to exploit his weaknesses." She sighed, deeply, and sipped her tea. "Whoever finally _does_ win his heart is going to be really lucky… Kuno can be damn devoted when he tries to be." Nabiki looked suspiciously at her cup, then glanced up sharply at Carmella. "Did you put something in this tea?" she demanded. "I'm _never_ this open, even with my sisters!"

Carmella laughed her chiming laugh. "Okay, you caught me. It's my special mix Revelation Tea, but I only activated your cup. But doesn't it feel better to get that off your chest?"

Nabiki looked thoughtful a moment, then nodded begrudgingly. "Yes, it does feel somewhat better…" she admitted, "But the next time I get a chance, you are teaching me to make that tea!"

Carmella laughed again. "Fair enough. Why don't you come back for Kuno around four o'clock? He'll probably be awake by then."

Nabiki nodded. "That's fine." She walked to the back door. "See you then!" she called out, waving.

"Bye!" Carmella said, waving back and smiling. She walked over to the sleeping Kuno and leveled an intense gaze at him. "You'd better have heard all that," she remarked, voice steely, "or I shall be very annoyed. I haven't had a chance to play matchmaker in nearly a decade!"

=^-,-^=

I'm still taking whatever you throw at me, you know.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is property of Rumiko Takahashi, and therefore, not mine. I make no claim of it, and this piece of fan fiction is written purely for entertainment, not for money. The Cat's Wishes and Cursed Whisker powder are my concepts, and Carmella is my character, so you'd better ask before using them—or at least give me some credit. Thanks much!

--socchan


	5. Invitations

Interesting Times

By socchan

Chapter Four: Invitations

Nabiki hurried over to Carmella's store at a quarter to four. She had not bothered to go back into school, instead opting to sit by the field until it was time to go. As a result, she managed to witness more of Ranma's antics, and a very cute 'almost' moment between him and Akane. She cursed the fact that she had to leave so early, but felt picking up Kuno was more important than watching the rest of the scene, particularly with the type of network she had running.

Something chimed above her as she entered the shop, and she glanced up. An ornate bell hung in the doorway, ancient but strong. Nabiki could almost feel the age and magic emanating off of it. She stared at in in awe, slowing her pace to get a better look at it. "New addition?" she asked, casually.

Carmella, who had been sneaking up behind her, grinned ruefully. "You're getting good at that."

"Thank you."

"Yes, it is a new bell. It's supposed to protect against evil. I got it in Norway."

"When was this?"

"This afternoon, while you were gone."

"Somehow, I'm not surprised." She wasn't.

"Chocolate? I got them in Switzerland on the way back."

"Thank you," Nabiki said, taking one. "How's Kuno?"

"He's adjusting well. He's been up and about for the last half an hour, getting used to it."

Nabiki cursed under her breath. "I should have come sooner."

Carmella shook her head. "No, you were fine. For someone who's been under curses as long as he has the results of their sudden removal can be physical as well as magical. You saw an example of this this afternoon. He'll need a little more work, but on a whole, he's adjusting much better than I expected." Carmella laughed. "But then again, this _is_ Nerima." With this remark, Nabiki joined in.

"Seriously, though," Nabiki said, wiping a tear from her eye. "How is he? Is he ready to go?"

"Quite ready, if I do say so myself." A familiar voice said behind her. Nabiki whirled, this time to find Kuno standing there. He smiled a bit, his eyes twinkling in amusement. "Hello, Nabiki."

"I—You—But-!" Nabiki turned to face Carmella again, scowling. "You did that on purpose! You were just a distraction so Kuno could sneak up on me."

Carmella chuckled. "Foiled again. You've really got to learn to be quicker than that, Nabiki."

"Shut up before I accuse you of turning into Ranma." Nabiki growled. She was surprised when both Carmella and Kuno laughed. Normally, Kuno would have gone into 'Avenge Akane and the Pigtailed Girl' mode at the mere mention of his rival's name. _I guess that Wish must really work,_ Nabiki thought, smiling a bit.

"Okay you two, time to get going. I have an appointment in Finland in two hours, and I want to dust this place up a bit." Carmella said, ushering them to the door. "Go! Go on now, scat!"

Nabiki laughed as Carmella pushed her along. "I'm not a cat at the moment, thanks."

"Same principle applies. Now shoo!" With that closing remark, Carmella had them out the door. She smiled and waved before closing it behind them. They watched the store get swallowed up by the surrounding buildings.

Nabiki chuckled and shook her head. "That Carmella…" she said, smiling. She noticed Kuno giving her a strange look. "What is it, Kuno?"

He smiled and shook his head. "Nothing. It's just, I've never seen you laugh before."

Nabiki stared at him as if he'd just admitted to having created Happosai and inserting him in an appropriate place in the time-space continuum through a combination of black magic and second hand underwear. "You've gotta be pulling my leg! I must've laughed in front of you sometime."

Kuno shook his head again, more firmly this time. "No, you haven't. Not like that, at least."

"Like what?" Nabiki was genuinely curious.

Kuno shrugged and made motions in the air as if he were searching for something. "Happy." He said at last, "I've never seen you laugh like you were happy before."

"Oh." They walked in silence for a minute.

"What did you mean by 'I'm not a cat at the moment'?" Kuno asked suddenly.

"Didn't Carmella tell you?"

"No. Well, she told me about why the curses weren't affecting me, but not much aside from that."

Nabiki had been wondering about Kuno's curses, but decided it was the wrong time to ask. "Well, when I first stopped at Carmella's shop, I poked around a bit too much and got this powder on my fingers. I turn into a two-tailed cat on full moons because of it. When it first happened, I went to get advice from Carmella, and she helped me out."

"So you're what, a werecat now?"

"Sorta…" Nabiki searched for a change of topic; she didn't like discussing her curse on the streets. Then something hit her with alarming force. "Hey," she said, poking Kuno in the arm.

His head swiveled to look at her. "Hmm?"

"You're speaking normally."

"How so?"

"You aren't using that flowery Shakespeare dialect."

Kuno's eyebrows went up. "You're right! Wow… that hasn't happened in years." Kuno stopped walking, and started patting himself down, occasionally glancing over his shoulder to see his backside.

Nabiki suppressed a giggle, and stopped beside him. "What are you doing?"

"Checking for any other obviously negated curses."

The laugh tickled at her throat, threatening to burst free. "Find any yet?"

"Not really, except it's finally hitting me how stupid I look in this Kendo uniform."

With this statement, the laugh at last escaped Nabiki's grasp, bubbling up her throat and flowing from her lips. "Hahahahahahahahahah—Oh, God, that's funny! Kendo outfit! Hahahaha hah!"

Kuno glared at her in mock annoyance. "It's not quite _that_ funny, thanks. I mean, just because the hakama looks like a skirt is no reason to laugh!" This only served as fuel to the already blazing fire.

"HahahahaHAAAAA--! Oh-oh-oh-a-a skirt! Hah ha ha ha ha…" Nabiki crowed, clutching her sides. "Okay, okay, I'm calming down now. Heh…" Nabiki straightened, and wiped her eyes. "Ah… ha ha ha… hah… whew…"

"Good." Kuno eyed her with a sort of peeved skepticism. "Let's see if that's true. Hakama." Nabiki burst out laughing again. Kuno threw his hands up in exasperation. "I knew it!"

"Oh, heheheh, give it a, hah, rest, heehee, Kuno." Nabiki squeezed out between laughs.

"You know, if I still thought I was God's Gift to Women, I'd swear it was my charm and amazing wit you were laughing at, as opposed to my idiotic behavior." Kuno stated dryly, eyebrow quirked. "Now I know better, and I can't decide whether or not ignorance is bliss."

"Oh, come on, Kuno," Nabiki said, finally getting control of her laughter. "You're a lot more charming than you give yourself credit for. At least, you are now." Realizing what she had just said, Nabiki blushed and ducked her head. _Why the hell did I just say that?_ Nabiki thought, _I don't think it's a Wish. At least, I don't feel one right now. Plus, Carmella said the next one wouldn't have to control me._ When she managed a glance up, she noticed Kuno looking at her oddly again. "What?" she demanded, somewhat crossly.

"Nabiki Tendo," Kuno said, eyebrows raised, "did you just compliment me?"

"Don't read too much into it." Nabiki said, praying none of the nervousness she was feeling had gotten into her voice. "If I didn't say something nice to you once in a while, I'd loose my best customer."

Kuno was silent a moment. "Nabiki," he said at last, "I have a request to make."

"Yes…?" Nabiki couldn't help feeling a bit anxious.

"Being freed from all those curses has helped me sort out a few things in my life, and I think that I would like to stop being your customer."

Nabiki bit back a shocked gasp. "Okay, Kuno." Her voice quaked a bit, but it was barely audible. "That's fine with me… I mean, if it's what you want, then…" She found herself unable to continue.

"Instead, I would like to be your friend."

Nabiki's shocked gaze met his serious one, and although her eyes were a touch moist (probably from all that bright sunlight; she certainly wasn't afraid she'd loose Kuno. Nope, not a bit), she could tell he was sincere. "Thank you, Kuno. I would like that very much."

Kuno smiled at her and she felt her heart jump a bit. "Good. Then, as my first act of friendship, I would like to treat you to dinner. After all, five yen is awfully cheep for something as useful as a Cat's Wish. What do you say? You free next Friday, say, seven-ish? We can swap stories, and you can fill me in on all the missing details of the whole Ranma/Akane/curse/whatever situation."

"I… sure. I'd probably be curious, too, if I were in your situation." Nabiki's smile matched his. "Thanks."

"Well, then, I'd best be on my way. My sister is probably about to terrorize something or someone, and I'd like to see what I can do about it. I'll see you tomorrow, Nabiki."

Nabiki was surprised to find herself in front of Kuno's mansion. "Alright." A small smile came to rest on her lips as she waved good-bye to the kendoist. Whistling the tune to a song she'd long forgotten the words to, Nabiki very nearly skipped home.

=^-,-^=

I would like to take this time to personally thank SailorVeggi and SailorAnime for providing me with my first complaint. Hope I got your names right, and I'm sorry, but I'm afraid there won't be much action in this story. I'm not unhappy to get compliments, but I like to appreciate everyone. Besides, I like to think that this will soften the blow when I try to publish a novel, and my book keeps on being rejected (or worse, is printed, and only sells three copies). Anyhow, I'm still accepting the worst as well as the best in terms of reviews.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is property of Rumiko Takahashi, and therefore, not mine. I make no claim of it, and this piece of fan fiction is written purely for entertainment, not for money. The Cat's Wishes and Cursed Whisker powder are my concepts, and Carmella is my character, so you'd better ask before using them—or at least give me some credit. Thanks much!

--socchan


	6. Ryonen

Interesting Times

By socchan

Chapter Five: Ryonen

Nabiki was contemplating things. She had taken a leaf from Ranma's book and did so on the roof, though since the moon was half full, it was of less peril than it might ordinarily have been. Finding herself unable to sleep, and deciding it was probably not a good idea to remain indoors in the state she was in, a fully anthropomorphic Nabiki had arranged her covers and pillows just so, and climbed out the window. There she sat in the dark, a luminous waning half-moon hanging in the sky. A multitude of tiny stars winked and glittered on her catlike form. She observed them, as they would not disturb her meditations.

Many thoughts had passed through her mind, but a great majority of them were about a certain recently cured Kendo captain.

He had come to school on Saturday in his usual Kendo gear, out of habit, Nabiki supposed, or a need to make his evident change gradual. He had, however, declined from challenging either Ranma or Akane at all that day, making the both of them suspicious. She was unsure of the events on Sunday, but Kuno had come to class on Monday in school uniform, something Ranma had yet to do. On Tuesday he managed to catch Akane alone for a few minutes and apologize to her for the whole 'hoard of boys' ordeal, and renounced his desire to date her. He said that she already had someone who loved her much more than he and he had neither the right nor the desire to destroy her happiness in such a way. This Nabiki had heard from Akane herself when she came to talk to her older sister about some of the more confusing things (of late) in her life. It appeared that this newest fiancée was really making her think. On Wednesday Ranma managed to get hit with cold water not too far from Kuno, but he all but ignored her, sparing her only a glance for the commotion. That morning, Nabiki had found a formal letter of apology on her desk, along with a copy for each of the other members of her family and one for Ranma. A quick scan showed that they all said basically the same thing, hers going into the most detail. The envelope also contained a check for a very nice amount for home and dojo repair funds.

Tomorrow was Friday, the day Nabiki went out to dinner with Kuno on something she had a hard time convincing herself was not a date. Nabiki sighed, and once again tried to make sense of her feelings towards the Kendoist. The past week he had smiled at her a lot more often. Sometimes in class, she looked up to meet his eyes across the room. Whenever either of these things happened, her heart did a strange little flutter, of whose cause she was uncertain.

One of Nabiki's unusually large ears flicked back as she contemplated this. "You know," she remarked, seemingly to no one, "hiding in shadows is the kind of thing a spy or a sneak would do, and I don't particularly relish the idea of someone moving in on my territory."

A chuckle followed this, and a slightly bent figure came out of the shadows. "You're a sharp one, girl. I was wondering if those ears were as good as they looked." The old woman's voice reminded Nabiki very much of autumn, dry and crackling like fallen leaves, with a strong grip on life. There was a bit of a snap to it, but it was overall warm and pleasant. Autumn also described the hunched woman well. She was old, but she didn't look as old as Cologne. Her hair was done up in a bun, and still had a few smoky black streaks to it. She was wrinkled, but not unpleasantly so, and her black eyes glittered with mischief. She wore a kimono printed with maple leafs, and her face was scarred, as if she had once been in a fire.

Nabiki was not fooled by her looks; a feeling of age and wisdom radiated off of the woman, and she knew instinctively that, appearances to the contrary be damned, she was much older than Cologne. If this woman was as old as she _felt_, Nabiki might have some trouble on her hands. "What can I help you with, respected elder?"

The woman approached Nabiki, and sat down next to her with a small 'oof'. "Your name is Nabiki Tendo, correct?" Nabiki's eyes narrowed slightly, and she nodded curtly. "My name is Ryonen; I hear you have something that once belonged to me."

Nabiki's eyes narrowed farther. "I still don't see how I can help you, elder Ryonen."

"They are called the Cat's Wishes. You have used two up so far. On is hanging around your neck; the other hangs around the neck of a boy you harbor deep feelings for."

Warning signs went off in Nabiki's mind, and she turned slightly to meet the woman's eyes. "If you think you can just buy them off me," she said, in dead monotone, "you are dead wrong." Claws she didn't know she had extended from her fingertips to grip the roof tiles, and her golden cat-eyes flashed dangerously.

Ryonen laughed at this, but Nabiki did not relax. "Don't worry, child, they've already chosen you to fulfill them. I just thought you'd like to know more about them, and perhaps where they came from."

Nabiki settled back a bit at this, but did not drop her guard. Now that the woman mentioned it, she was curious. "Speak on, elder," Nabiki said, her tone slightly mocking.

Ryonen caught her gaze, and her dark eyes glittered in good-natured humor. "I can tell you aren't going to relax, so I'll just tell you the story. You have yet to do anything to truly annoy me, so your worries are unfounded.

"It all started many many years ago, many more than you have seen, but not more than I. At the same time I was still young, and apprenticed to my master, Toryu Shen. He was a good teacher, if a bit stern. He had a pet cat named 'Tora' of all things that had seven claws on its right paw. He—the cat—was fat, lazy, arrogant, and a pest, but he had his uses. He could channel energy like nobody's business, and he was great protection. He was easy to understand, too. Hell of a dry wit, he had. Still, all good things come to an end, and Tora was no exception.

"One day, an old enemy of ours sent a beast in the night to attack us. Tora was awake, and fought to protect us. It was a courageous battle, and Tora won in the end, but at a terrible price. The beast had gashed his side wide open. Tora knew he had not much time left, so he awoke us and called us outside.

"We found him lying in front of the store, struggling to stay alive. He told us his last request. He wished to be useful in death as he was in life, so he asked us to preserve his body parts and turn them into magical items. With his remaining strength, he filled his body with magic from all around him, and throughout his life, and commanded it to stay, which is by no means an easy feat, even for a cat. Then, having used up his resources, he allowed Death to claim him. He died content.

"Master Toryu was heartbroken, but he did his best to carry out Tora's final wish. The claw you wear around your neck is one of the seven from Tora's right forepaw. Toryu came up with some truly ingenious spells for Tora's body, let me tell you. Tora's other sets of claws each have a slightly different use, and his whiskers created some truly potent Cursed Whisker powder. I can't say I remember everything that was done with his remains, but Tora was a fine cat, and it's well that you should know of him." Ryonen stood and stretched with a bit of a creek. "Now, I must be going. Give my regards to Carmella, would you?"

Nabiki nodded silently, and watched he woman walk back into the shadows, and then vanish. Exhaustion finally showing its mark, Nabiki went back indoors, and crawled into her bed. She drifted off to sleep, her thoughts swirling with Kuno, claws, and courageous cats.

=^-,-^=

I found this chapter really boring when I was writing it. I didn't like it, but I felt it was necessary for later. On the other hand, maybe I should just let _you_ decide. I honestly have to say I never expected so many reviews. Thank you ^_^! For most of you who reviewed the previous chapter, the good stuff is coming up next time. Promise! After writing that chapter, I felt like I had syrup running through my veins -_-, but I guess I'll see if it was worth it when I post. As always, tell me what you really think, and don't water it down, please!

A special note to Anu-chan-san: Hi! Glad you like my writing, but sorry it made you feel like yours was crap. All I can really say is that I learned a lot from reading myself (mostly printed novels and stuff—not fics). It also helps that my mom is a Grammar Queen ^^;… Anyhow, if you're really interested in Ranma, you can check out the Ranma Scan Project ^^v. Also, there's a reason I don't use caps at the beginning of sentences in the guestbook. It has to do with philosophy. Ask me about it sometime. I'll see you later, Anu-chan-san!

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is property of Rumiko Takahashi, and therefore, not mine. I make no claim of it, and this piece of fan fiction is written purely for entertainment, not for money. The Cat's Wishes and Cursed Whisker powder are my concepts, and Carmella is my character, so you'd better ask before using them—or at least give me some credit. Thanks much!

--socchan


	7. Nabiki's Date

Interesting Times

By socchan

Chapter Six: Nabiki's Date

It was Friday night, and Nabiki was nervous. It could be because she was going to have dinner with Kuno that night, but she doubted it. Nope, nothing like that. She was probably just worried someone would catch her in the act. She had excused herself from dinner earlier, claiming a business date, and used the time to take a bath to make sure she was ready. She stood now in a light kimono, trying desperately to decide what to wear. A light knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.

"Who is it?" she asked.

"It's me," Akane's muffled voice replied. "May I come in?"

Nabiki walked over to the door and opened it for her younger sister. Akane smiled and nodded slightly to her when she entered. "So…" Nabiki said, "What's up? More Ranma problems?"

Akane's cheeks turned slightly pink. "No; I just wanted to know where you were going."

"It's a business dinner; I told you before."

"Nabiki," Akane said pointedly, "you never have business dinners. You always 'do lunch', so it doesn't take time away from the family. Now spill: what's _really _going on?

Nabiki sighed, and wished that just _once_ her younger sister were as clueless about her older sister's life as she was about her own. "Okay, you caught me. It's not really business, but I didn't think anyone would believe me if I told the truth." _Plus, it's not something I'd like to admit, in case anyone gets the wrong idea,_ she added silently.

Her sister's eyes lit up. "Really? With who? C'mon, tell, tell!"

Nabiki's eyes slid to the floor. "Kuno." She said, with some reluctance.

"Ooooo, big sister's got a daaaaaate!"

Nabiki's eyes snapped up. "I do not! It's just he made some really big life-changing decisions lately, and he wanted to talk about where we stood with one another!"

"And you're going out to dinner to do this?"

"Yes."

"And he's paying?"

"Yes."

"And you assume it will be a fairly nice restaurant."

"Yes."

Akane shook her head. "Sure sounds like a date to me," She said, skeptically.

Nabiki glared at her, agitated. "Look, I know what it sounds like; that's why I didn't want to say anything. Now shut up and help me decide what to wear."

Akane looked Nabiki over a moment, then turned to the closet. "Now, if _I_ were _you_, which admittedly, you _are_ acting as if you were me, and _I_ was going out on a date—"

"It's not a date."

Akane waved it off, and continued. "A date with a rich, handsome—and admit it, he is—guy who suddenly jumped up about fifty IQ points to what we can assume is a fairly expensive restaurant, I would wear… this." Akane swept her selection from the closet.

Nabiki stared at it a moment. "It's perfect." And it was. The dress was made of brown velvet with long sleeves, a scooped neck, and a full skirt. It was elegant and tasteful, and would emphasize her fair skin while blending nicely with her hair and eyes.

Akane wore a rather smug smile. "I'm glad you agree with me. I just hope Kuno doesn't show up in a hakama."

"Oh, he wouldn't." Nabiki said, with distracted assurance. "He's too polite."

Akane shook her head. "Sis, you've got it _bad_."

"No worse than you," she snapped back. Secretly, Nabiki wondered why everyone was suddenly stealing her trademark smirk, then chalked it up to how abstractly charitable she was acting lately. She made a mental note to exploit someone before the weekend was out. "Thanks for the help." She said aloud.

Akane grinned. "No problem! It's fun playing matchmaker for once, instead of being on the receiving end."

Nabiki mock-glared. "Just wait until it's your turn."

Akane 'eep'-ed, at this, and was gone before you could say 'Look out for the cat, Ranma!'. Nabiki chuckled at her sister's antics, and finished getting ready.

At promptly seven o'clock the doorbell rang. "I'll get it!" Nabiki's voice came from upstairs, and the shocked Tendos plus Ranma watched as a brownish blur raced down the stairs and out the door, causing a slight wind. 

Ranma blinked a couple of times. "What was _that_?"

"What was what, Ranma?" Akane asked, innocently. "I didn't notice anything."

Ranma rolled his eyes, and returned his attention to the television. "Tomboys…" he muttered under his breath, pleasantly amused.

Outside, Nabiki stood with her back to the door, a pleasant smile on her face. She had managed to get out of the house in less than three seconds, a personal best. "Good evening, Kuno."

Kuno blinked in surprise at the sudden arrival of the middle Tendo daughter. He took his hand down from the doorbell, smiled, and bowed. "Good evening, fair damsel." He said, eyes revealing his amusement. He held out a violet rose. "My efforts to surprise you with a flower seem foolish at best, as this rose fades in comparison to the lovely bloom before me."

Nabiki blushed slightly, and took it from his hands. "Thank you, Kuno, it's lovely. May I as why you're using Shakespearean dialect?"

"The common tongue is too harsh to use with such a fair maid as yourself." Kuno said, smiling. "Don't worry, the Wish still works; I just thought you might like to see a play before dinner." He extended his arm to her. "Shall we take our leave of this place?"

Nabiki smiled, half in amusement, and tucked the rose behind her right ear. "Let's." She took his arm, and they were off.

They made small talk on the way to the theatre. Kuno asked how Akane and Ranma were doing, and Nabiki said they were doing well, but as usual, not with each other. Did he have any ideas? Sadly, no, he didn't, but he would tell her in an instant if he did.

While they were talking, Nabiki took the time to examine her escort. He wore black slacks and a matching vest with a white silk shirt under it. An indigo sash was wrapped around his waist. "You look nice tonight," she commented.

He smiled disarmingly, and Nabiki's heart pounded. "Thank you; you look nice as well."

Nabiki's cheeks flushed, and she had to look away. "Oh!" she exclaimed, noticing the poster. "Is that what we're going to see?"

Kuno's eyes twinkled. "Indeed it is. I thought 'As You Like It' might have enough gender confusion in it to keep us interested." Nabiki laughed, and the two went to find their seats.

Once sitting, Nabiki found she had a hard time concentrating on the play. Probably without realizing it, Kuno had draped his arm over the back of her seat, and the close proximity was making it a little for her to breathe. He was wearing faint cologne that mingled with the air around him. After a while, thought, she got caught up in the play, and didn't notice when Kuno's hand dropped from the back of her seat to her shoulders. She did notice the absence of warmth when the audience rose for a standing ovation, but didn't make the connection.

"Where to next?" Nabiki inquired as they left the theatre.

"Next, we go to dinner."

"Not ramen or okonomiyaki, I hope."

Kuno looked appalled. "For such a good friend as you? Never! Besides, I have to think of _something_ to do with all my spare cash…"

Nabiki whapped him lightly on the arm. "No money talk; it'll only distract me. I'll go off on my business tangent for the rest of the night, and it'll ruin dinner."

Kuno laughed. "As you wish*, fair maiden."

"And stop calling me that!"

"Would you rather I call you 'precious flower', or something equally rediculous?"

"No; call me Nabiki."

They continued joking good-naturedly until they reached the restaurant. There, they were seated at a nice table in back, and a waiter took their orders.

"So…" Nabiki said, fiddling with a piece of bread. "You wanted to know about Ranma's situation."

"Well, I kinda pieced some of it together from memory, and I get that he changes into a girl, but I still don't know how…"

"Kuno, I think we'd all be worried if you'd managed to figure that out."

Kuno glared at her. "Very funny. Will you tell me, or not?"

Nabiki considered the story a moment, staring off into the distance. "I'll start from the beginning, and relay what I know as I know it. And believe me, I know quite a bit… (A.N. I re-wrote this instead of summing it up in a single paragraph because of your request, Paru-chan, so you'd better appreciate it!)

"It all started way back when, before Ranma first showed up. Dad had just announced that one of us was engaged to the son of a friend of his, and we got pretty angry with him. Then Ranma actually _showed_, only at the time, he was a she, and his dad was a panda. Anyhow, Dad passed out from shock, and once he woke up, Akane and Ranma went to spar. After that, Akane accidentally walked in on Ranma in the bath while he was a guy, and chaos reigned for a few minutes, until Ranma and his dad sat down to explain. Turns out that while on their stupid little training trip, Genma had come across some stupid Chinese book detailing training areas, and they went to this one called 'Jusenkyo', the Legendary Ground of Accursed Springs. They fell into the springs of drowned girl and panda respectively, so now they change when splashed with cold water, and back with hot."

Kuno choked on a bite of food. "Sorry about that," he said, thumping his chest lightly. "Something went down the wrong tube. That explains so much, now that I think of it. Do continue."

Nabiki rolled her eyes. "Well, anyway, once we found out about Ranma's little… problem, Kasumi and I kinda pushed the engagement onto Akane. She didn't want it at first, but now I don't think she'd give it up for anything. Then came the first day of school, and you remember how that went."

Kuno nodded. "Ranma and I jumped out the third story window and into the pool. He ran, and for good reason, and I chased, for less of one."

Nabiki nodded. "After that, Ryoga showed up, accidentally sheered off Akane's hair, and it was just one thing after another. Kodachi, the martial arts skating pair, Shampoo, Mousse, Cologne, (socchan: I could sit here and rattle off things all day, but I'm not going to, A: because it would be boring, and more importantly, B: because I don't know all of them.) Happosai—"

"Happosai?"

"Old panty-stealing pervert. Ukyo, Taro, countless fiancees for both Ranma _and_ Akane, the works! Just about anything you could think of, someone was after Ranma for it. Well, indirectly, at least. And then there was his mom, and she wasn't much help, what with that whole 'man among men' thing. The insanity finally peaked a couple of months ago, then it kinda calmed down for a while after the whole wedding incident."

"Did I mention how sorry I was about that?"

"Several times, yes." The story had stretched long past the appetizers, through the main course, and finished itself just before dessert. Nabiki glanced at Kuno, trying to gage a reaction. "Well, I said I'd tell you about the 'cat' business, so I may as well get on with it now. A little more than a week ago, I stopped in Carmella's shop, and poked my nose where it didn't belong."

"You do that a lot, don't you?" Nabiki glared at him. He grinned. "Then again, it's part of your charm."

Nabiki fought back a blush. "Well, I poked it in the wrong place, and accidentally got cursed in the proccess. Now I turn catlike on significant phases of the moon, such as full, quarter, and empty. On the plus side, I managed to pick up the Wishes at the same time.

"So how about you?" she asked, when she had finally reached the present, "How did you get so many curses on you?"

"Ah, that. Well…" Kuno grimaced. "It all started when I was about seven, and Kodachi was six. She had dug up an old spell-book from somewhere in the house, and was trying to work the spells, using me as a guinea pig. Most of them didn't work, and a lot backfired, but some of them found a bizarre way to come about. The curse that made me use abstract language? That was an 'Olde English' curse that hit both of us. An 'obsessive' curse hit both of us as well, but she got the brunt of the 'Insane Tendencies' curse. Finally, it got too much for me, and I hid the book somewhere. Unfortunately, she'd had a stupidity charm in the works for a while, and hit me with that in revenge once she found out what I'd done." At this point, Kuno signaled the waiter for the check. "A few of the earlier curses she'd hit me with wore off, but I can't remember most of them, and likely as not, a few traces were left until last week. I do recall wanting to be a ballet dancer at one point, but that wore off quickly." Kuno left a tip on the table, and paid the bill. They were walking down the street to the Tendo household. "And that's pretty much how things were until you came along and gave me that Wish." He smiled down at her. "And for that, I thank you."

Nabiki blushed and stared at her feet. "I just wanted you to stop bugging Akane."

"Whatever you say, Nabiki. In any case, I'm glad you _did_ give it to me."

She looked back up at him. "Because it got rid of your curses?"

Kuno shook his head. "That was just an added bonus. The truth is, it did exactly what you said it would, and exactly what I paid for it to do."

Nabiki found it hard to take he eyes off him. "And that was…?"

Kuno stopped walking, and she followed his example, just realizing they were in front of the gate to her house. "It helped me decide who it was I really loved."

Nabiki frowned. It wouldn't be Ranma, especially after everything she'd told him, so maybe Akane…? No, she'd said he didn't look at her with love (or at least obsession) in his eyes as he'd had before he told her he was giving her up. Then… "Who was it?" she asked, not quite realizing she had spoken aloud.

"Well, she's your age. She's very pretty, but not quite as lovely as she is smart. She's graceful and articulate, and one of the few people I feel I can truthfully call my friend. You know her very well, in fact." Nabiki's heart sank, though she couldn't say why. In her mind, she ran off a list of people she was potentially losing her one true friend to. "It took me all the time I was out to figure out who she was, and once I did, I didn't know how I'd missed her! She was right in front of me the whole time."

Nabiki bit her lip and stared at the bottom of the gate, hands clenched in front of her, eyes wet. _It's probably just dust,_ she thought to herself. _Yes, that's it, dust. The perfect lie. Even I almost believe it…_

Kuno looked down at the young woman in front of him, her eyes glittering in a moon just barely less than half full. He mustered up all his courage, and concentrated very hard on the indigo cat's claw around his neck that had helped him come to his realization, and the violet one around Nabiki's that matched the rose in her hair. He opened his mouth and spoke.

Normally in Nerima, the strange curse that had been active in the area for the past nineteen years would have kicked in and ruined this moment, or a wayward chaos Kami would have set about doing what it did best and made things even harder for the love gods, but the close proximity of two Cat's Wishes made Kuno and Nabiki all but invisible to the miscellaneous supernatural forces around them, and Kuno was allowed to speak.

"And she still is."

Nabiki's head nearly snapped in his direction, and tears that had accumulated took to the sky. "Kuno," she said, hesitantly, barely daring to hope, "do you…"

He leaned over and their lips met, cutting her off. For one magical moment, Nabiki was swept away by a flood of emotions, all rejoicing for that one beautiful word, Love. Then, the moment ended (was it really that short?) as Kuno broke the kiss. Dazed, Nabiki could only stare into his eyes. His voice was soft when he spoke. "I think, Nabiki, that you know I do."

Nabiki could only continue to stare into his eyes, speechless, watching stray specks of indigo drift through their depths. No words were really needed. Kuno's hand stroked her cheek, and this time she lifted her face to meet his lips halfway, her eyes closing as she allowed her other senses to take over.

This time when they broke apart, they did not join again. The warmth and affection in Kuno's smile almost matched Nabiki's own. "Good night, Nabiki," he said, dropping his hand, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay…" a still dazed and slightly breathless Nabiki said. Kuno put on a crooked smile and bowed to her, Shakespearean style. Nabiki smiled, and waved at his retreating figure until he was out of sight. She sighed happily, then reluctantly turned and went through the gate to her house. As she walked, she moved the rose from her right ear to her left**. Akane met her at the door.

"Did you have a good date?" she asked, sounding smug as she looked.

"Yes," Nabiki said, dreamily.

Akane chuckled as she watched her older sister all but float up the stairs to her room. (socchan: *choking on fluff* Must… Finish…! Cannot… allow… readers…to be…disappointed! Oh, good, the chapter's over now.) 

=^-,-^=

*Ten points to whoever gets this reference.

**Hawaiian custom. Wearing a flower behind your right ear means you're single, wearing it behind your left ear means you're married (I took a liberty and made it 'taken' for this), and wearing a flower behind each ear means you're married (or taken) and fooling around. I had to pick something up on my two weeks without a computer. (Waaaaah! I'm still moping about that!)

Jeez, after a chapter like that, you could probably tap my veins to top your pancakes. Long one, too. Anyhow, that seemed to have covered most of what a lot of you were waiting for: some nice Kuno/Nabiki fluff, explanations of Kuno's curses, random teasing on all parties involved, yadda yadda yadda. Anyhow, hope that's good for now, 'cause next chapter it's back to business. Ranma finally gets some major screen time, too. But I'm not about to spoil anything yet ^_~. So stay tuned, and don't forget to say what you really think. I'll keep trying to update regularly (and maybe I'll do an extra update because I've got Monday off school ^_^). Till next time!

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is property of Rumiko Takahashi, and therefore, not mine. I make no claim of it, and this piece of fan fiction is written purely for entertainment, not for money. The Cat's Wishes and Cursed Whisker powder are my concepts, and Carmella is my character, so you'd better ask before using them—or at least give me some credit. Thanks much!

--socchan


	8. A Chat With a Friend

Interesting Times

By socchan

Chapter Seven: A Chat with a Friend

The following Wednesday afternoon, Nabiki could be found chatting with Carmella in her shop, and generally helping out.

"So I take it you and Master Kuno are significantly more than 'just friends' now?" Carmella asked, a smile in her voice.

Nabiki blushed slightly, and made a face at her. "Yes. Do you have to tell the whole world, though?"

Carmella laughed, musically. "No, it's just good to see I haven't lost my touch after all this time."

Nabiki leveled a suspicious gaze at the store owner. "Was this _your_ doing?"

"No; well, not entirely. You and he would probably have gotten together anyway. I just pushed you in the right direction that's all. Besides, you can't tell me you aren't happy with this."

Nabiki glared. "Yes, I can; it just wouldn't be true." Carmella laughed again as Nabiki opened a rather dusty box. She coughed, and waved the dust away, lifting sculpted clay figures from the box. "How long has this thing been here, anyway?"

Carmella shrugged. "Fifty years, maybe? I'm not entirely sure. I know I wrote it down somewhere, but it's been a while, and where and when it came from isn't exactly important at the moment. What _is_ important is that some kid in America is going to need them soon."

Nabiki raised an eyebrow. "And you're how old now?"

Carmella laughed. "His name is Charlie, if you're interested."

Nabiki rolled her eyes at the obvious elusion of the question. "How _do_ you know that, anyway?" she asked, changing the subject. She never could get Carmella to tell her her age. "I mean, this Charlie kid isn't exactly here, so you can't quite read his aura."

"Well, as soon as the items told me they found someone that could use them, I looked him up in my crystal sheet." Carmella said, leaning over her shoulder. "Now, Charlie will be needing this one," She reached into the box, and pulled out a clay figure wrapped in yellowed French newspaper from the end of the Second World War. She unwrapped it to reveal a largish painted black wolf with two identical amber stones in its eye sockets. "And he'll be visiting sometime next week, if my guess is right." Turning it over, Carmella slapped a sticker reading '$12.00' on the bottom. She raised her eyebrows at the look Nabiki gave her. "What? A girl has to make money somehow."

Nabiki snorted. "That sounds like something _I_ would say."

Carmella grinned. "You're right. So, did you figure out who it is that attracts curses?"

Nabiki blinked. "I'd forgotten about that."

Carmella whapped her lightly on the head, and set the wolf on the counter. "Idiot. How's your life supposed to calm down at all if you don't take care of that?"  
Nabiki blushed and looked away. "Well, sorry. I haven't gotten a tug lately. How do you expect me to figure it out?"

Carmella rolled her eyes. "Never mind." She looked at Nabiki. "Y'know," she started, "I've been meaning to get a helping hand around the store… I mean, even I won't live forever. And you might be able to pick up a few tricks if you hang around here more often."

Nabiki stared, openmouthed, at Carmella. "Really?"

Carmella nodded. "Really."

Nabiki broke into a grin. "When do I start?"

Carmella's face lit up. "How's next Monday afternoon sound?"

Nabiki considered a moment. "Deal. Now, what's it pay?" Carmella laughed.

A few hours later, after hammering out the details with her soon-to-be employer, Nabiki left for home. She got back in time to see the climax of the latest fiancée fiasco, and watched till the end, fighting the urge to applaud when the faulty engagement was negated, and Ranma and Akane were allowed to stay together. Nabiki went to bed tired but happy.

Thursday passed pretty much uneventfully for the most part. Nabiki went to school, ate lunch with Kuno, teased Ranma and Akane respectively, stopped briefly at Carmella's store, and went home to finish tallying her latest gains (which were many) and losses (which were few, but despite popular belief, existent). The evening passed with the usual banter, and when Nabiki went to bed, she had all but forgotten there was a new moon that night. She remembered in a hurry, however, when she felt her ears elongate and point, then crawl up her head, and twin tails sprout from the base of her spine. She watched in wry amusement as her fingernails lengthened to form claws.

"Lovely," she murmured, glancing in the mirror. "Now I look like a hanyou." She chuckled, and shook her head. "I read too much Inu-Yasha…"

(Far away and long ago, but at what could be relatively called the same time, a certain half-youkai sneezed. "Inu-Yasha?" Kagome asked, sounding concerned, "Are you coming down with something?"

Inu-Yasha snorted in disgust. "Keh. You should know by now that demons can't catch cold.")

Nabiki sighed, and shook her head. "Looks like I won't be getting much sleep tonight." Resigning herself to her fate, Nabiki changed out of her pajamas and into a set of clothes that wouldn't confine her tails. As an afterthought, Nabiki glanced over her shoulder, and twisted the twin tails together to form one thick appendage. Satisfied, Nabiki nodded to herself, and maneuvered acrobatically out the window and onto the roof.

Nabiki stood up straight, closed her eyes, and breathed in the night. At once, the free scents invaded her nostrils. She let the breath out reluctantly, almost sad to return it to its brethren. At almost the same time, her ears pricked at the sound of a human sigh on the other side of the roof. Cautiously and, appropriately, cat-quiet, Nabiki crept along the roof to see a lone figure in a Chinese shirt and pigtail sitting forlornly, and gazing into the distance. Nabiki blinked. "Ranma?"

Ranma started, and turned around to face her. "Nabiki?" he asked, bewildered, "What are you doing up he-eeee-eeeere?" Ranma's expression froze as he noticed the ears sprouting out of Nabiki's head.

Nabiki blinked again. "Ranma? You okay? Ran—oh." Nabiki felt her face redden as her ears twitched. She smacked her forehead. "Duh, Nabiki! 'Cat'-girl? Geez, I'm getting worse than both Ranma and Inu-Yasha put together!"

("Ah-CHOO!"

"You sure you're okay, Inu-Yasha?"

"I'm perfectly fine, Goddamnit!")

Nabiki sighed, and looked at Ranma. "Well, it's not the Nekoken, so he's probably just in shock." She glanced around nervously as she decided on a course of action. Her eyes again rested on Ranma. "You owe me for this," she gritted out, then heaved Ranma over her shoulder. "Oof! Damn, he's _heavy_! I don't know how Inu-Yasha manages all the time…"

("Aah-CHOOO!"

"That's the third time you've sneezed… Maybe we should stop for the night."

"Just keep walking, bitch."

"But—"

"I said just keep walking, dammit!")

Nabiki hauled Ranma across the roof, and maneuvered him unskillfully through her window. Exhausted and swearing, Nabiki dropped in after him. She rested a few minutes to regain her strength, then crept downstairs to get a pitcher of cold water and the tea kettle that was always on. As she crept back to her room, she felt the beginnings of a gentle tugging sensation from one of the Wishes. Nabiki grinned; she had been waiting for this.

When Nabiki got back, Ranma was still in shock, and the tugging feeling was even stronger. She opened the drawer where she kept the Wishes at night, and pulled the blue one out by its cord. Nabiki raised an eyebrow; somehow, its color didn't surprise her. She tucked it in her pocket, poured a glass of water, turned, and splashed Ranma in the face. His, now her, reaction was predictable.

"Hey!" she yelped, "That's cold! Oh, yeah, thanks Nabiki." Ranma-chan turned to face her savior. "So, how much do I owe you?"

Nabiki waited ten seconds for Ranma-chan to respond, then poured hot water on her. "Ow! Hot!" Ranma yelped again.

"Better?" Nabiki asked.

"Yeah…" Ranma nodded. "I think I can look at you now. Nabiki, we really need to talk."

Nabiki smiled a saccharine sweet smile. "I'm glad you thing so, Ranma, because I think we need to talk, too."

Ranma shifted nervously. "I'll go first. Nabiki, what's with the whole c-c-(gulp) 'cat' thing?"

"It's a curse." Nabiki stated blandly, shrugging.

"Oh, okay then." Ranma blinked then shook his head with a grin. "Y'know, sometimes I'm scared by how easily that answer is accepted in this household."

Nabiki chuckled. "I know. While we're on the subject of curses, I have something you might be interested in."

Ranma's eyes bugged out. "A cure? You found a cure? What is it? Do you really think it will work? Where'd you get it?"

Nabiki held up her hands to slow the flow of questions. "Woah, woah, calm down Ranma. Yes, I found a cure, and I'm positive it will work. I got it form a small out-of-the-way occult store; I doubt you've been there, and even if you have, I doubt you'd ever have found it. And all I can tell you about what it is for the moment is that it's not Nannichuan water."

Ranma frowned. "Why?"

Nabiki regarded him calmly. "Because you won't like it."

Ranma snorted. "Well, yeah, if it's a sex change operation for my girl side, or something equally stupid."

Nabiki rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, it's nothing like that." Nabiki looked at Ranma carefully for a moment. "How badly do you want a cure?"

Ranma turned serious. "Almost more than anything. Almost."

Nabiki nodded. "I thought so." She stood up, and went over to the window. "Come on; let's go."

"Where are we going?"

"To visit a friend of mine, and help you decide if you really want this cure."

=^-,-^=

Okay, first things first. Ten points to Queen and badgerwolf for recognizing 'as you wish' from 'The Princess Bride', an all-time favorite of mine. Five points to Lord Eclipse, because he didn't actually say what it was from in his review, although he seems to have recognized it (and provided me with quite a few quotes I _didn't_ recognize. You remind me of myself). The rest of you, read the book. In fact, all of you, read it. It's hilarious. Most of you are probably familiar with the William Goldman film version, so I also would like to recommend his abridgement of it. If you aren't, remedy it immediately. Or else. It's _so_ worth it. Oh, yeah, and it isn't mine.

Second, a special 'hello' to any of the Aishiteru Guestbook Gang who decided to visit (whether or not they actually knew who or what Ranma was). Glad to have you with us ^_^ and I hope I've addicted you to Ranma. If not, I'll just have to try harder ^_~. See you at the guestbook!

Same review deal. Be honest, or I'll be angry. And don't you dare beat around the bush, got it?

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ and Inu-Yasha are the property of Rumiko Takahashi, and therefore, not mine. I make no claim of it, and this piece of fan fiction is written purely for entertainment, not for money. The Cat's Wishes and Cursed Whisker powder are my concepts, and Carmella is my character, so you'd better ask before using them—or at least give me some credit. Thanks much!

--socchan


	9. A Cure and an Arrangement

Interesting Times

By socchan

Chapter Eight: A Cure and an Arrangement

Nabiki and Ranma walked the late-night streets of Nerima almost silently. "So we covered why I was on the roof," Nabiki said, quietly, "Why were _you_ up there?"

"I was… thinking." Came Ranma's reply.

"About?"

"…"

"You want that cure or not?"

"That's blackmail!"

"No, it's extortion."

"Same dif!"

"No, it's not, and I'll thank you not to insult my Art. I don't insult yours, do I? And stop trying to change the subject. What were you thinking about?"  
"…"

"I take it you were thinking about Akane." Nabiki grinned as she felt the air around the boy heat up and heard his pulse get faster.

"So what if I was?"

"It appears I was right. Is that all you were thinking about? Or were you thinking about doing things with her?"

"Dammit, I know you're smiling now, Nabiki!" A pause. "Okay, fine, I'll tell you. But only if _you_ tell _me_ where you went last week, and with who. Akane said you were positively glowing when you came back, but she refused to say why."

"You're getting good at this."

"I learned from the best."

"Okay, fine, I'll respect your privacy. We're here anyway."

Blink. "What? Already?"

Nabiki knocked lightly on the back door. "Carmella? It's me." She called softly. The door opened to reveal the woman in question, still dressed in the day's work clothes.

"Nabiki? What's up? I thought you wouldn't be needing any more midnight visits."

Nabiki sighed. "Yeah, well, I kinda ran into an emergency, and couldn't avoid it. This was the best place to go. I got another tug from the Wishes, and I want the recipient checked out before I give it to him. I don't want a repeat of the Kuno incident."

Carmella raised an eyebrow. "You're going all out for this one."

"Yeah, well, I figure he's dealt with enough failures so far. I don't want any lousy side effects for this one. Ranma," she said, addressing the boy behind her for the first time since they arrived, "I'd like you to meet Carmella. She's been a great help to me in figuring out my own curse, and I'm sure she can help with your cure. Carmella, this is Ranma, my sister's fiancée." Nabiki moved aside, and Ranma stepped into the doorway, bowing slightly.

"Pleased to meet you." He said politely.

Carmella smiled. "Likewise." She moved inside the door a bit, and ushered them with her hands. "Come in, come in; people will think I'm inhospitable."

Ranma blinked. "What people? It's the middle of the night."

Carmella's eyes twinkled. "You'd be surprised." (A.N. **cough cough** Readers! **cough cough**) Nabiki and Ranma followed her in, and Carmella had Ranma take a seat on the bed as she looked him over. "Hmm…" she said, scrutinizing, "The Jusenkyo curse is plain as day, and it's definitely got a connection to one of the Wishes. He's also inherited a rare form of 'Foot-in-mouth' curse*, as well as one that attracts attention from the opposite gender, which seems to have been amplified a bit by the Jusenkyo curse. I can see the problem. The cure, however, won't affect any of these inasfar as they don't affect one another." Nabiki frowned a bit at the flash of worry that crossed Ranma's face at the mention of the second inherited curse. _He's worried Akane might be affected by it…_ she realized. Carmella straightened. "I can't see any real problems with the Wish taking," she said, meeting Nabiki's gaze squarely. Nabiki nodded, a bit anxious.

"Um, Carmella…?" she asked, nervously, "Could we sit down? There's some other stuff you might need to know in relation to the Wish…"

Slightly confused, Carmella nodded. "I'll get some tea started. Ranma, you can take a seat at the table now."

Ranma stood, relieved, and went to his new seat, Nabiki following suit. Carmella soon joined them at the table, after setting out a few cups. "Now, what's the problem you're talking about?"

Nabiki glanced at Ranma one more time before turning to face Carmella. "Ranma's afraid of cats."

Ranma shifted uncomfortably, and Carmella's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, dear…" she said, "I can see how that _would_ be a problem…" Nabiki picked up the faint scent of Carmella adding a touch of magic to the water on the stove. "Ranma…" Carmella said, regarding him carefully, "I think we'd better start at the beginning…"

Ranma nodded. "I was wondering what all that 'Wish' stuff was all about…"

Carmella turned an expectant gaze to Nabiki, who let out a long-suffering breath. "Alright," she said, wearily, "I'll tell it. It started a couple of weeks ago, on my way home from school…" Nabiki's tale wove through the air around them, causing Ranma's eyes to widen in surprise more than once. She omitted certain details, such as her conversations with Akane and her current relationship with Kuno, but otherwise almost nothing was spared. "Tonight's the new moon, which is why I look like this." Nabiki gestured to herself, nearing the end of her story. "I didn't exactly want to get caught, so I went up to the roof, which turned out to be pretty moot after all. And you know the rest of it."

Ranma nodded, eyes focused on the table in front of him. Carmella was new to her meeting with Ryonen, but hadn't said anything, instead only raising an eyebrow. The tea had been delivered a short time after she had started her story, and Nabiki found out that the magic Carmella had worked was to make the tea calm soothed nerves. Nabiki, for one, was grateful for this.

"So _that's_ why Kuno hasn't been chasing us any more…" Ranma said softly. He turned his eyes to Nabiki, and met her gaze, seeming to be slightly unnerved by her slitted pupils. "And that's why you were worried about the cure."

"Ranma," Carmella's voice made him turn back to face her. "If you really want that cure, you're going to have to face one of your greatest fears to get it; your fear of cats. It's not something easy to do, but it sounds to me as if it will be well worth it."

Ranma nodded. "I know… It would feel like cheating if I didn't have to do anything to get it. I don't like it, but if it means not turning into a girl whenever I get splashed with cold water, I'll take it."

"There's something else bothering you…" Carmella's forehead creased in a frown. Ranma looked away.

"You're worried that Akane likes you because of that curse you've inherited." Nabiki stated. Ranma nodded slightly. Nabiki smirked; _here_ was something she could help. "Don't worry about it. Our family's probably immune. I mean, it didn't work on either me _or_ Kasumi, so it probably didn't take on her, either."

"Yeah, but what if it's a recessive trait or something, and you an' Kasumi didn't get it, but Akane did?" Ranma's voice was shaky when it came out; he still couldn't meet anyone's eyes.

"If you develop feelings for a person, your natural defense system should negate the affects of the curse on that person." Carmella's tone was warm and reassuring. "The curse was originally designed to help whomever it was placed on find the right person by introducing enough prospective paramours for him or her to decide which one he or she loved. The spell is supposed to deactivate selectively for that person, so the one under the spell can determine if the one they loved loved them because of the spell or for themselves. It'll deactivate completely once the first person finds someone he or she knows returns his or her love." Nabiki nodded to herself; so _that_ was why Ranma still had his fiancée problems.

"Ranma." Ranma was startled out of his reverie when Carmella placed her hand over his. He looked up at her. "People _do_ find happiness; it happens every day. It can happen to you, too, but it's up to you whether or not it _will_."

Ranma held Carmella's gaze a moment longer, searching for something, then nodded. "Thanks." He said, quietly. He turned to Nabiki. "You, too. Even though I don't act like it a lot, you're one of the best potential sister-in-laws a guy could have, and I wanted you to know that."

Nabiki made a face. "Oh, yeah? What about Kasumi?"

Ranma blinked. "Kasumi? Good God, she's almost more like a potential _mother_-in-law than sister-in-law! Not that it's bad," he admonished, quickly. "It's just, y'know, different."

Nabiki grinned, and punched him lightly in the arm. Of course, knowing Ranma, it probably wouldn't have hurt much no matter _how_ hard she punched, but it's the principle of the matter. "C'mon, 'bro', we need to get going. Thanks for the help, Carmella."

"And the tea," Ranma added, rising from his seat.

Carmella smiled. "You're welcome. Feel free to drop by any time you have trouble, but if you can wait until more decent hours, I'd appreciate it."

"We'll keep that in mind," Nabiki said, smiling. "Let's go, Ranma…"

"I can walk just fine without you pulling my arm like that, you know. Can we take the high road home?"

"Why not? It's not like a change in perspective could do any _harm_ to that thick skull of yours…"

Carmella chuckled as the pair left the shop; someday, she might have to have children of her own if these two were any indication of the experiences she'd have.

It was the wee hours of the morn when Ranma and Nabiki finally landed back on the Tendo's roof. Nabiki caught his arm before he had a chance to run off. "We need to work out what you're giving me for that Wish," she explained. Ranma nodded, and followed her once again through her window. They sat across from one another on the floor.

"So how much do you want?" Ranma asked, breaking the silence.

Nabiki shook her head. "I've been planning this too long to ask for money now. Besides, you don't have any." Ranma grimaced.

"So what _do_ you want?"

Nabiki waited until he was forced to meet her eyes. "I want you to go on a training trip around the world."

Ranma blinked. "That's all? I would've thought—"

Nabiki cut him off. "And I want you to bring my sister along, and actually _train_ her."

"What?"

"I want you to take Akane on a training trip around the world, and I want you to _train_ her." Nabiki repeated firmly. "And I want you to take a while, so the two of you can actually enjoy the sights. In exchange, for no extra charge, I will give you the Wish, which as long as you wear it will keep you from turning into a girl. In addition, if you need financial aid at any time during the trip, you can write to me and I will _give_ you money."

Ranma looked at her carefully. "Why are you doing this?"

Nabiki massaged her temples. "Ranma, this is going to be really hard for me to do, so once I start, don't stop me, and _don't repeat it_. Believe it or not, I care about my sister a lot. You make her happy, and apparently, _she_ makes _you_ happy." Ranma's cheeks stained pink. "If that weren't true, I wouldn't be doing this. There is little Akane would like more than to travel the world with _you_, or to be trained better. She wouldn't admit it; chances are, she doesn't even _know_ it, but _I do_. So, because I have the opportunity, I'm doing something about it. I'm not asking you to get married or anything; I'm just asking you to get to know each other."

Ranma was silent. Nabiki raised an eyebrow, and it poured out. "But what if she won't go? What if she thinks I'm going to do something perverted? What if she—"

"Ranma!" Ranma's mouth snapped closed. Nabiki looked at him sternly. "Don't worry about it. I'll tell her. She'll listen to me, and eventually, she'll listen to you, too. I'll leave a couple of believable notes—I've been forging your handwriting for a while now, and I won't even imply that you're together, so if you write back, watch what you say. Only one thing: I want you gone by dawn. Think you can handle all that?" Ranma nodded. "Good." She handed him the Wish. "Now go get packed—I'll wake Akane, and send her to the dojo." Ranma strung the claw around his neck, and the two walked out of the room in separate directions.

"Akane."

"Mmmm… whazzat?"

"Akane!"

"Wha? Nabiki? Why are you shaking me? What's up?" Akane sat up, still half asleep.

"Pack your stuff. Ranma's agreed to take you on a training trip."

"What?" Akane was wide-awake now.

"I got him to agree to train you. Get packed, because the only way you can pull this off is if you're gone by dawn. When you're ready, meet him in the dojo. Pack light, but for all occasions."

Akane nodded, believing her sister. She got out of bed, and headed to her closet, then paused. "Nabiki?"

"Yeah?"

"Why are your eyes glowing?"

Nabiki smacked herself on the forehead. "It's a curse."

"Ah, okay then. And thanks."

"For what?"

"For getting Ranma to train me. There's no way he would've done it on his own."

Nabiki grinned. "You're welcome." She crawled back to bed and went to sleep.

When she awoke that morning to sounds of distress, Nabiki smiled broadly.

=^-,-^=

*I couldn't resist.

I'm tired right now, so I'll make this brief. There _might_ be a sequel to this, and if I decide to go through with it (after something else, of course) this is where it will pick up, with Ranma and Akane. I don't have it all planned out yet, but the idea is there. I won't ask for opinions on me doing a sequel just yet; I want to wait until this entire thing is posted. That'll give you some time to mull it over. I'll see you next chapter, and remember, as far as comments go, I take the harsh with the kind.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is property of Rumiko Takahashi, and therefore, not mine. I make no claim of it, and this piece of fan fiction is written purely for entertainment, not for money. The Cat's Wishes and Cursed Whisker powder are my concepts, and Carmella is my character, so you'd better ask before using them—or at least give me some credit. Thanks much!

--socchan


	10. The Tale of Greg

Interesting Times

By socchan

Chapter Nine: The Tale of Greg

Nabiki was smiling when she walked into Carmella's store that afternoon. "Hey, Carmella!" she called, glancing up briefly at the Norse bells as they twinkled with her entrance.

"There you are, Nabiki," Carmella said, dusting off her hands and walking up to her, smiling warmly. "What are you so happy about today? If you'll pardon the expression, you look like the cat that ate the canary. Did you have another date with Kuno?"

Nabiki made a face at her friend. "For your information, I just sent Ranma and my sister on a world-wide training trip, and I am very pleased with how well it went."

Carmella raised an eyebrow. "I'm surprised Kasumi agreed to something like that."

Nabiki whapped her lightly on the arm. "Jeez, Carmella, even with such a cute couple as Ranma and Akane, you're never serious."

"There are lots of couples cuter than Ranma and Akane! Take you and Kuno for example." Nabiki glared, and Carmella laughed. "Okay, okay, you win, Ranma and Akane are cuter together. Especially with you glaring at me like that."

Nabiki threw up her arms with a sound of annoyance. "Some days you are just impossible!"

Carmella only laughed at this. Then she turned serious. "Nabiki…" she said, quietly, "Why didn't you tell me you wanted to know more about the Wishes?"

Nabiki was silent for a moment. "I didn't know for certain until Ryonen mentioned it to me, and afterwards, it seemed a little awkward to ask. She sends her regards, by the way."

"Who?"

"Ryonen. Sorry it's a bit late, but it completely slipped my mind. Who was she, anyway? I can tell by now you've had some history with her."

Carmella regarded Nabiki evenly, then sighed and walked to the door, flipping the 'open' sign over. She turned again, and beckoned Nabiki to the back room, where she put on a pot for tea, which was ready shortly. They sat for a moment in the silence, sipping tea, neither one saying anything. "I suppose I owe you an explanation." Carmella said at last. "After all, I've pretty much invaded your whole life, so you deserve a bit of background information." Nabiki didn't say anything, only staring into her cup, as if trying to divine the missing answers from it. Carmella sighed. "Right then. I'll get started.

"About fifteen hundred years ago, a fairly powerful sorcerer named Toryu Shen created a small shop designed to seek out people who needed a touch of magic in their lives. Now what I mean by the shop seeking people out is that no one would be able to find it unless they needed to, and they would always be able to when they did. The people visiting for the first time would be oddly compelled to travel a different route than usual. You can still find it every day because you expect to be able to, and now that I've officially accepted you as my apprentice you can't be locked out. There's a lot more to it than that, but I'm not going to get into it now. You don't know quite enough magic theory yet.

"In any case, throughout the years, Toryu helped many people realize and achieve their potential, and many of them fighting with huge power for the side that you might consider 'good'. As you can imagine, this made a lot of people on other sides rather annoyed, but they could never find the shop to do anything about it. Then, one day, a sorcerer with the tastes of a mercenary found out about the store. His name was—is—Greg, and he dabbled in whatever Arts he felt could help him, particularly Necromancy, the magic of the dead. He was working to create an army so he could take over the planes of existence—or whatever ones he could, anyway. Not only did the store have a lot of powerful items, but it had the reputation of turning out strong fighters that ended up indebted to the store and its owner, to be called on at a moment's notice. Greg approached Toryu with an offer to buy the store, but was turned down. Greg swore that he would be back to claim it some day.

"Things became more dangerous from that point on. Toryu called in a lot of former customers to help re-enforce the spells already in place. One of them who couldn't make it sent Tora to guard the store in her stead. Tora went through seven of his lives doing just that before Toryu divined his own approaching death. So he set the spells on the shop to call an apprentice. For twenty-seven years the call was in place, and Tora lost another life in that time, but at last it was answered with Ryonen. That was roughly a thousand years ago.

"You've heard how Tora lost his ninth life, so I won't repeat the story. Eventually, after training Ryonen to the best of his ability, Toryu passed on. Ryonen was a lot quieter in her business for a few years after his death, but all that changed.

"One day, though she knew not how, Ryonen got another visit from Greg. He made her the same offer he'd made Toryu, and faced the same rejection, with a vengeance. Suddenly it came to Ryonen that every item in that store that became fulfilled with the help of someone else was striking a blow against Greg. She set to work with the spells immediately, and started the shop up again, but she couldn't do everything she needed to without help, so she set up the call spell again and around five hundred years ago, I visited the store on one of its trips to Spain.

"The spells were mostly her doing, and they were an ingenious work, but what it boils down to is this: every time one of the objects that passes through this store is fulfilled, another piece of Greg's army is shut down. Anything connected in Tora had double potency, usually taking out more people, or more important ones, either by nullifying their powers, showing them something that would make them change their minds about who they served, or, when all else failed, sucking the remaining life from them. Ryonen worked like a madwoman, trying to get as much done as she could.

"About seventy years ago she left the store in my charge. She needed a break, too. She set off to see the world outside of the shop, freed of its influences. Twenty years later, I was doing pretty well with the shop, when I got my first little visit from Greg.

"We both know what he was there for. He offered me anything I could ever want if I would just work for him—riches, power, magic, a small piece of the world to call my own, but I turned him down. By then, he had figured out what we were up to, so he tried the same offer and more just to get me to close the store. I still refused. Then, he had the audacity to offer a third time for copies of the spell that made the store work the way it did, but I didn't know them, and neither did Ryonen. We'd both thought Toryu had taken them with him to the grave. I accidentally let that slip, and Greg left with the intent of finding out the spells from the master himself.

"When I realized what he was up to, I panicked. I contacted a medium I had once helped, and together we warned Toryu of the approaching danger. Toryu was as prepared in death as he was in life—or maybe he just thought fast, I don't know, but either way, he had a spell ready within minutes. He relayed it to me through the medium, and I carried it out with the help of one of Tora's eyes, crystallized and spelled to amplify magic. The spell took all of Toryu's knowledge of magical workings, and locked them in a book somewhere. Confident that Greg would never find it, we left Toryu to his afterlife. The medium left, and I passed the news on to Ryonen.

"We didn't anticipate how good Greg's network was, though. One of his spies in the other world passed the information on to him, and he started the search for the book. With news of his new quest, Ryonen turned her wanderings in search of her master's knowledge as well, and I worked every spell I knew to try and find the book, but we all came up with nothing. Toryu kept the book well hidden. He was truly as great a sorcerer in death as he was in life, even if he couldn't carry out the spells himself. Still, Greg did not halt his search, so Ryonen was forced to keep up hers. As a last ditch effort, I tied a spell into the already existing ones connected to the shop and all the items handled through it. Amazingly enough, it worked. Now, every time something here finds and achieves its purpose, we get a hint to where the book is hidden." Carmella finished.

"Lord…" Nabiki said, softly. "Now I _really_ need to fulfill those Wishes…" She stared at Carmella. "I never would have guessed that you were five hundred years old, never in a million years. Well, maybe by then. But still, you've aged beautifully!" Carmella laughed, and allowed the atmosphere in the room to become more cheerful.

=^-,-^=

Well, there it is. Another chapter relating past history, and a relatively short chapter at that. Sorry I didn't introduce the villain until now, but at least you now know how old Carmella is. I sincerely hope I haven't scared all of my reviewers away with my continued requests for harsh as well as gentle. If that is the case, I'm sorry. If not, I can certainly live with what I have (it's better than what some fics get), but I will miss the considerable ego boost receiving several reviews per chapter gave me. Ah, well. Till next time, I suppose.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is property of Rumiko Takahashi, and therefore, not mine. I make no claim of it, and this piece of fan fiction is written purely for entertainment, not for money. The Cat's Wishes and Cursed Whisker powder are my concepts, and Carmella is my character, so you'd better ask before using them—or at least give me some credit. Thanks much!

--socchan


	11. If You Give a Mousse a Wish

Interesting Times

By socchan

Chapter Ten: If You Give a Mousse a Wish…

Saturday afternoon, Nabiki was sitting across from Kuno in an ice cream parlor, sipping occasionally from a mint chocolate shake. "So that's what happens if we don't find the book, and if I don't get the rest of the Wishes taken care of." She said, finishing her explanation of the previous day's events.

Kuno frowned. "Well, the book thing sounds pretty cryptic if you ask me, so if I were you, I'd focus on trying to find more of the people you need to give Wishes to."

"Yeah, but I've run out of obvious people." Nabiki said, dejectedly. "Ranma was easy to figure out; I was too, sort-of. But I never would have guessed _you'd_ need one. I know the rest of them aren't going to make it easy on me, but you'd figure I'd at least know where to look!"

"That's easy. Take a glance around Nerima, and you'll probably see at least ten people who could use one."

"Yeah, well, the Wishes probably need a bit more than just a glance to decide."

"Well, if you're going to be pessimistic about it, we might as well talk about the book."

Nabiki sighed; Kuno sounded annoyed. "You're right. I should stop focusing on the negative aspects. If there's _any_ place that the Wishes will be of use, it's Nerima. There are probably more people with curses here every square kilometer than just about anywhere else in the world! Hell, just between Ranma's rivals and fiancées, there's _more_ than enough to take care of the Wishes!" A thoughtful look crossed her face. "Y'know, that's a good place to start. If anyone needs a Cat's Wish more than one of Ranma's rivals, I'll—I'll extort people for half price for a whole day! Now it's just a matter of finding out who gets what." She grinned at Kuno, and leaned over to give his cheek a peck. "Thanks for the great idea. I always knew you brought out the best in me."

A silly grin plastered itself to Kuno's face. "Look who's talking."

"Anyhow, now that you've helped me decide on a course of action where the Wishes are concerned, let's move on the book."

The pair brooded in silence for a while, occasionally taking a sip of a milkshake. "Did you ask Carmella for the clues she already has?" Kuno asked, suddenly. Nabiki smacked her forehead, and Kuno lifted an eyebrow. "I'll take that as a 'no'…"

"If I knew you were going to be smarter than me, I never would've given you that Wish…" Nabiki grumbled.

Kuno grinned. "Sure you would have. After all, it's no fun having a clueless moron for a significant other. Your sister already knows that pretty well."

"Oh, shut up." A thought dawned on Nabiki. "Say…" she said, "didn't you say that Kodachi put all those curses on you from a book?"

"Yes…"

"Well, you don't know where it came from, and she found a _lot_ of spells in there, so do you think it could be the one?"

Understanding made itself known on Kuno's face. "You just might be right. And even if it isn't the book we're looking for, it should at least have some good stuff in it. Maybe it'll even have some stuff Carmella doesn't know in it…"

Nabiki snorted. "I doubt it. Still, either way, it'll be good to have around." A smug grin took the place of the cynical expression. "_Now_ who's the smart one?" she teased.

Kuno made a face. "Ha-ha, very funny. Stop by my place tomorrow, say, one-ish so we can dig up the book?"

Nabiki drained her milkshake and reached for her wallet. "It's a date." She promised with a wink and a grin.

Kuno stopped her hand. "For a little extra sugar, I'll take care of the bill." His eyes twinkled.

"Kuno, what do you—oh." Nabiki leaned over and planted a kiss on his lips. "Happy now?"

Kuno dropped a thousand-yen bill on the table, and led Nabiki out the door. "Quite,"

Nabiki's eyes glowed with amusement she didn't allow to show on her face. "I should hope so, because—" Nabiki was interrupted by the sight of Shampoo speeding by on her bicycle in the direction of the Tendo Dojo, followed close behind by Mousse. "Crap…" she muttered, feeling a tug, then started running after. Confused, Kuno watched for a moment, then realization dawned. Quickly, he followed Nabiki.

Nabiki raced down the street after Shampoo, praying to any Kami listening to avoid any confrontation. If Shampoo found out where Ranma really was… Nabiki gritted her teeth and sped up. Kuno lengthened his stride, barely keeping up with her. "You're pretty fast for someone who doesn't actively practice the Art," he commented.

"Sometimes… it pays… to be fast." Nabiki panted out. "More so… since Ranma came…"

"Make some people angry in your past?"

Nabiki glared at him. "Drastic times… call for drastic… measures. Stop… making me talk… Takes air away… from breathing."

Kuno raised an eyebrow. "You really don't do this a lot, do you?" Nabiki's glare worsened. "Alright, no need to get defensive. I won't make you talk."

Nabiki turned her focus back to the road in front of her. "There it is!" she suddenly gasped out, and added what little speed she had left, hoping against hope she could stop the Amazons before hey caused too much property damage, but already knowing she wouldn't beat them. Every sprinter knows it's the beginning of the race that makes the difference in the outcome, unless you're someone like Ranma, who can pull a win out of a hat. Nabiki was not, but damned if she wasn't going to try.

"Nabiki, wait up!" Kuno called out, fruitlessly. "Damn… Now she's making _me_ out of breath…" He smirked a bit. "Not that that's a bad thing. Just tiring…" Kuno sucked in another breath, and leaned into the run.

Nabiki knew she had lost when she heard the cry of "Where Ranma?!" from the backyard. Gritting her teeth, she allowed herself to slow down, and hid behind a hole in the wall, peering through to watch. Kuno came to a stop behind her, breathing hard.

"Finally…" he muttered.

"Shh!" Nabiki hissed. "I'm listening for my entrance!"

Kuno frowned. "You've got this down to a science, haven't you?"

"Ranma you coward!" came Mousse's yell. "Come out and fight!"

"That's my cue!" Nabiki whispered, then stepped through the wall and into sight. The tug was getting stronger and more insistent. "Ranma's not here." Nabiki called, getting the attention of the two teen Amazons.

"You!" Shampoo said, pointing a bon bori at Nabiki. "Where airen?!"

"He's out, so I'll thank you kindly to stop wrecking out property." Nabiki said, cooly.

Shampoo looked startled a moment, then redoubled her efforts. "Shampoo not ask where Ranma not; ask where _is_."

Mentally, Nabiki rolled her eyes, but didn't let anything show through her business face. "That can be arranged… for a price."

Shampoo glared. "How much?"

"I'll settle for two thousand yen, and no more destruction of property for the rest of the stay, _or_ when you leave."

Shampoo scowled. "Fine." She put on her cutest face, and turned to Mousse. "Mousse have two thousand yen Shampoo could borrow?" Mousse dumbly pulled a wad of cash from… somewhere, peeled two bills off of it, and handed them to Shampoo, tucking the rest back where it came from. Nabiki frowned inside. _I wanted to make_ her _pay… And where did Mousse get all that cash?_ Shampoo smiled sweetly. "Thank you, Mousse." She turned back to Nabiki and handed her the money. "Where Ranma?"

Nabiki took the paper, made a big show of making sure it wasn't counterfeit, then tucked it into a hidden pocket on her person. "Ranma left on a training trip this morning and didn't tell anyone where he was going. He said if anyone tried to follow him, he'd never speak to that person or those persons again. This is a trip for him to get stronger spiritually as well as physically."

Shampoo scowled at her, turning the information over in her head. "When he back?"

"He didn't say. Spiritual Evolution can take a while." Nabiki replied.

"Fine." With a final glare, Shampoo turned, stomped back out through the hole she'd come in, and biked off. Cautiously, Kuno entered.

"I can't believe you said all that with a straight face!" he said, honestly.

Nabiki shrugged. "It's a gift. Is he okay?" she asked, jerking her head in Mousse's direction. "It looks like he's in shock."

As if on cue, Mousse groaned and shook his head. "She did it again, didn't she?" he asked, not really needing an answer.

"Yup." Kuno replied.

It was hard to tell through those coke-bottle lenses, but Nabiki was relatively certain he blinked in surprise. "Kuno? When'd you get here? More importantly, when'd you start being comprehensive?"

Kuno shrugged. "About two minutes ago and two weeks ago respectively."

"Why don't you come in, Mousse?" Nabiki asked, paying careful attention to the Wish's pulse.

Mousse shook his head. "No, thanks. I should probably be heading back to the Nekohanten."

Nabiki frowned. "You sure? I'm sure Cologne would understand if I just… explained things to her. Besides, there's something I'd like to bargain with you for."

Mousse raised his eyebrows. "Okay, if you're sure…"

The three of them set around the kitchen table, and Nabiki got the teakettle that was always on (more for Mr. Saotome now than anyone else) and served them all a drink. "Where's Kasumi?" Kuno asked, casually.

"Probably out shopping." Nabiki replied, blowing gently on her tea.

"Ah," Kuno said, taking a tentative sip.

"So what is it that you wanted to bargain for?" Mousse asked, suspiciously.

"This," Nabiki said, pulling the green Wish from her pocket by its cord. "This is a charm that will make Shampoo stop taking advantage of your feelings for her. I can't promise it will make her like you," she enforced, firmly, "but it _should_ make her _respect_ you."

Mousse stared longingly at the cat's claw, then sighed. "How much?" he asked, reluctantly. Nabiki could all but read his thoughts: I'll never be able to afford it; she'll take all I've got, and then make me be her personal slave for two months. Still, for Shampoo's respect, I'd do almost anything… even make a deal with the devil. Same thing in this case.

Nabiki frowned to herself. Just because she could guess what others were thinking didn't mean she had to like it, especially in this case. Kuno reached over and patted her free hand, reassuringly. "It's okay," he whispered.

"Two thousand yen." Nabiki replied, making Mousse's gaze snap to hers in shock. She continued, unfaltering. "From _my_ account."

Mousse's jaw practically hit the floor. "But… why?" he asked, incredulously.

Nabiki shrugged. "I don't like to see other people swindling _my_ customers for money. That was a pretty damn nasty thing for Shampoo to do; even _I_ have limits." She folded the two thousand yen Shampoo had given her around the Wish's cord. "Here; from one hopeless romantic to another."

Mousse frowned, taking it from her, and tucking the money away with speed born of long years of practice. "I never pictured _you_ as a hopeless romantic. Unless…" He glanced from Kuno and Nabiki's joined hands to their faces, then slipped the Wish on and grinned.

"Unless I just needed to find the right person to be hopelessly romantic with?" Nabiki asked, allowing a small smile to grace her lips. "Could be…"

Mousse chuckled. "Congrats, Kuno; you have melted a heart of ice. May both I and Ranma do the same."

"I'll drink to that." Nabiki said. The three of them raised their cups and clinked them together, laughing.

=^-,-^=

I myself am rather proud of how well this chapter went, but I would still like to hear your opinions. Did I portray anyone too terribly out of character? Is there anything that needs clearing up? Does my story just suck in general? Or do you actually have high opinions of what I've done? Remember, here at Interesting Times Productions, we appreciate your honest opinion. Thank you for your time ^_^!

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is property of Rumiko Takahashi, and therefore, not mine. I make no claim of it, and this piece of fan fiction is written purely for entertainment, not for money. The Cat's Wishes and Cursed Whisker powder are my concepts, and Carmella is my character, so you'd better ask before using them—or at least give me some credit. Thanks much!

--socchan


	12. Lost Books and Lost Boys

Interesting Times

By socchan

Chapter Eleven: Lost Books and Lost Boys

Well past one-thirty on Sunday afternoon, Kuno and Nabiki could be found sorting through an ancient cellar on the Kuno family grounds.

"Tell me why we're here again?" Nabiki queeried.

"Because I hid the book in the one place I knew Kodachi didn't know about," Kuno informed her. "This was it. I was hiding from her in the basement one day when I found a sliding panel that wasn't supposed to slide, and this was it. I knew Kodachi hadn't been here because everything was still intact. I used to hide in here all the time before she managed to hit me with that last spell." Kuno shuddered. "Anyway, I think it's fairly safe to say that she hasn't been here since I hid the book, either."

"Huh…" Nabiki said, turning over a shield. "And you don't remember exactly where you hid the book?"

"Other than it was in this room? No."

"And this place used to be what, exactly?"

"An armory." Kuno said, off-handedly. "It was here that I was first inspired to take up the sword. All these weapons, the great battles won and lost using them, the feeling of strength all but radiating off of them; it was the perfect escape." He sighed, longing for days long gone past. "Too bad I didn't remember this place. I could've gotten some _great_ training done…"

Nabiki shook her head. "Kuno, you are quite possibly the weirdest guy I have ever dated."

"I'm also the only guy you've ever dated."

"Who told you that?!" she demanded, hotly.

Kuno shrugged. "No one, but it seems true enough."

Nabiki massaged her temples. "I hate it when you're right for no apparent reason." Something caught her eye, and a warm feeling radiated off the Wishes in her pocket. "I think I see something." She said, climbing over to a far corner. "Hang on…"

"Be careful, Nabiki; I'd hate to lose the girl I love to a falling sword in my own basement."

Nabiki shook her head. "You worry too much," she said, but was careful anyway. Three shields, a helmet, and an assortment of bokken were arranged just _so_ in a pile in the corner. Carefully, she took the helmet down, shifted a couple of bokken, and managed to free a sheild. There, in the corner, was a very dusty old book. Nabiki pulled it out, and brushed off the cover. "_The Compiled Works of Toryu Shen…_" she read. "Hey, Kuno!" she called. "I think I found it!"

Kuno walked over and peered over her shoulder. "Yup," he said, "Looks like. I _thought_ I had a reason for piling all that stuff over there…"

Nabiki rolled her eyes. "And you didn't check it earlier, because…?"

"Uh… I didn't feel like it?"

"You are just impossible sometimes!"

"Yeah, I know… but you love me anyway."

"Okay, this _definitely_ isn't Nerima." A new voice said. "Maybe I accidentally wandered into another dimension…"

Kuno and Nabiki's heads snapped up. "Ryoga?!" Nabiki demanded, fairly surprised.

The bandanna'd boy shrugged. "Last time I checked. Say…" he said, addressing Kuno, "Aren't you that incomprehensive bokken-wielding moron with a crush on Ranma's girl side?"

Kuno glared. "Oh, gee, thanks for bringing the 'old' me up. I'll have you know I was doing a pretty good job of suppressing those memories before you brought it up."

"Huh… Guess it is you. Since when did you start making sense, anyway?"

"Since Nabiki granted me a Wish." Kuno replied with a shrug. "What's it to you?"

Ryoga blinked and stared at Nabiki. "Since when are _you_ granting wishes?"

Nabiki rolled her eyes. "Jeez, Ryoga, you really _are_ clueless sometimes. I mean, all those disguises of Ranma's you fell for could've just been a fluke, but this proves it." Ignoring Kuno's snort and Ryoga's glare, Nabiki continued. "So why are you in Nerima this time?"

Ryoga shrugged. "Beats me. I just got this sudden urge to visit."

"Huh… wonder what it means…" Nabiki said absently, focusing on the faint tugging sensation she felt from one of the Wishes.

Ryoga gave a very fang-y grin. "Maybe it means I'll finally beat Ranma this time around."

Kuno and Nabiki exchanged glances. "Uh, Ryoga…" Nabiki said, carefully, "I think we'd better sit down and talk."

A few minutes later, Ryoga's outraged cries rang through the Kuno estate. "What?! He's gone?! How dare he do this to me—when I finally found my way back here, he's gone! And imagine, leaving Akane like that! Why I should—"

"Ryoga!" Nabiki shouted. "Calm down! Ranma _didn't_ leave Akane behind."

"You mean he brought her _with_ him?!" Ryoga screeched.

__

He sounds as if he can't decide which is worse, Nabiki thought, wryly. "No, he didn't. Akane left the same day for an all-girls boarding school. She said that she was tired of all the fights, fiancées, and kidnappings, and needed a break, so she left. It appears she has been planning this for a while."

"Oh…" Ryoga said, deflating a bit. "Now what am I going to do?"

Kuno and Nabiki exchanged a look. Kuno tentatively raised a finger, and turned it in a clockwork motion, quirking an eyebrow. Nabiki rolled her eyes, and nodded almost imperceptibly*. Kuno made a motion with his hands as if rubbing a lamp. Nabiki smirked ever so slightly, and nodded again. A slight smile touched Kuno's face as well, and he nodded in return. Ryoga noticed none of this exchange, as he was busy continuing his tirade and sinking deeper and deeper into a deep blue funk. Nabiki didn't notice until he started glowing faintly blue. "Yow! Ryoga! For God's sake, calm down! I still haven't told you the good news yet!"

"What good news?" Ryoga moaned. "How can there be any good news when I will never see Akane again? No, wait, maybe someone finally knocked off Happosai, that would be good news. Or maybe Taro decided his name wasn't so bad after all, and decided to stop terrorizing us. Or maybe I'll sprout wings and fly the next time I get splashed with cold water!"

"I have a way to keep you from getting lost, and you don't think it's good news?!?!" Nabiki roared. Ryoga stopped wallowing in self-pity and gaped openly at her. Nabiki crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him, embarrassed. "Dumbass…" she muttered.

"Wait, what was that about me not getting lost?" Ryoga asked, quickly.

"Kuno mentioned getting a Wish from me?"

Ryoga frowned and nodded. "Yeah…"

"It appears I have one for you as well." Nabiki stated evenly.

"Wait, how do you know it will cure my sense of direction?"

Nabiki shrugged. "Call it a hunch." In all actuality, she had slipped briefly into neko-vision and seen a faint yellow glow around the lost boy's body, but Ryoga didn't need to know that. She had a feeling she knew what color the Wish would turn out to be, too. "Do you want it, or not?"

Ryoga looked her straight in the eye. "If you give me a wish…" he said, carefully, "What do I have to do in return?"

"Drop your vendetta against Ranma. You can still be rivals, but will have to be a _friendly_ rivalry."

Ryoga looked at her helplessly. "What about Akane?"

"Akane's a big girl; she can decide who she wants on her own."

"What if I don't accept the terms?"

"Then you don't get the Wish." Nabiki was dancing on thin ice now, and she knew it, but she knew that this had to work, for Ranma's sake as well as her sister's. Besides, she could always fall back on threatening to reveal who 'P-chan' really was. "I don't think it's really that big a sacrifice. Ranma gets to live without constantly glancing over his shoulder, wondering if you're planning to kill him, and you get a sense of direction. From what I heard, your family can't find their way worth beans, either. Wouldn't it be nice to see them again? To help them find their way?"

Ryoga still looked hesitant. "But if I stop trying to get revenge on Ranma… what do I have left?"

"For crying out loud, Ryoga, is that all?" Nabiki demanded, annoyed. The lost boy flinched, and she immediately softened. "If revenge on Ranma is all you live for, what do you have left when you finally defeat him? There has to be more to live for than just revenge. If there isn't, what does everyone else live for?"

Ryoga sat in thought for a long moment. "Okay," he said at last, "I'll do it."

Nabiki let out a breath of relief. "Thank you, Ryoga. You don't know how much this means." She handed him the claw, and he slipped it around his neck. "Feel any different?"

Ryoga got a strange look on his face. "Yes, actually. Wow… so _this_ is what it feels like to know right from left."

"Which one is right?" Nabiki asked quicly. Ryoga held up his right hand. She grinned. "Good boy!" Ryoga looked irritated.

"Shall I walk you to the door?" Kuno asked.

Ryoga smiled a bit. "I'd say I'd show myself out, but I don't know how I got in in the first place. By all means, show me, and maybe I'll remember the next time I visit." Nabiki grinned, and followed the two to the entrance of the house.

When they opened the door, they were quite surprised to find someone already there, about to knock. "Mousse!" Nabiki exclaimed. "What are _you_ doing here?"

Mousse also looked surprised, before smiling, crookedly. "Looking for you, as a matter of fact. You weren't at the dojo when I stopped by, so I figured you'd probably be here. I wanted to say 'good-bye' before I headed out."

"For where?" Nabiki asked, before she could stop herself.

Mousse shrugged. "Nowhere in particular. Somewhere in China, is suppose. I quit the Nekohanten, so they can't stop me." Mousse looked slightly pained saying this, but determined nonetheless.

"Did it work?" Nabiki asked, quietly.

Mousse started. "The Wish?" He broke into a grin. "If Shampoo doesn't respect me after how _I_ quit, she _never_ will."

"Say," Ryoga said, making Mousse notice him for the first time. "If you're leaving, could I come, too? I want to do a little sightseeing now that I can actually recognize what the sights are. Plus, I need to look for my folks somewhere, and I suppose China's as good a place as any to start. Besides," he smiled crookedly, "It's lonely as hell traveling alone."

Mousse snorted. "You would know." He looked at him more carefully. "All past differences aside?"

"You got it." A fang glinted in the light. "I want to find out who this 'Ryoga' person is, exactly."

"As long as you don't interrupt my search for 'Mousse'." Glasses flashed with confidence.

Ryoga held out a hand. "Deal."

Mousse took it, gave it two hard shakes, then he let go. "Ready to leave?" he asked. "My train leaves in two hours."

Ryoga rolled his eyes. "With my lifestyle, you're _always_ ready to leave."

Mousse grimaced. "Good point. C'mon, we can swap stories on the way." He turned to the gate, Ryoga jogging a few steps to catch up with him.

"Well, that turned out pretty well." Kuno commented.

"Yup," Nabiki replied with a nod. "About as well as _anything_ can in Nerima, anyway. C'mon," she said, walking towards the gates.

"Where are we going?" Kuno asked.

"The ice cream parlor. Digging up ancient books of magic and saving would-be rivals from fates worse than Akane's temper is hungry work, and I expect _you_ to pay."

Kuno grinned and caught up with her. "Alright, but only if we get to share one of those cutesy 'couples' milkshakes."

=^-,-^=

A couple people were wondering how exactly the Wish affects Mousse. Basically, the various disabilities that Takahashi-san gives her characters seem to me to be metaphors for their real problems. Therefore, metaphorically as well as literally, Mousse can't see past his own nose. He is blinded by his feelings. Ryoga can't find his way or himself. Ranma can't understand the female sex, and therefore, can't understand his own emotions. And I'm not entirely sure about Kuno, but it seems to me that he's trying to compensate for something with that bokken of his. Okay, so that's probably not the problem most of you were thinking about (and after saying something like that, I'm seriously considering changing this story's rating) but give me a break! I'm still working on him. Kuno's hard enough to portray correctly, let alone understand. I mean, Ranma was easier to figure out than he was! _Ranma_! Anyhow, topic at hand. All the Wish really did was help Mousse to 'see' past the wall of his feelings. Okay, 'nuff playing 'psychoanalyst'. Hope that cleared things up for you! Next time you see Ryoga and Mousse will be in the sequel (if I write it). Only a couple chapters left to go. I love to hear anything you have to say ^_^, so please, drop me a line or a review. Thanks for listening!

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is property of Rumiko Takahashi, and therefore, not mine. I make no claim of it, and this piece of fan fiction is written purely for entertainment, not for money. The Cat's Wishes and Cursed Whisker powder are my concepts, and Carmella is my character, so you'd better ask before using them—or at least give me some credit. Thanks much!

--socchan


	13. Curse Magnet

Interesting Times

By socchan

Chapter Twelve: Curse Magnet

The Norse bell rang as Nabiki entered Carrmella's shop. "Carmella!" she called, hugging the book to her chest, "Carmella, I found it!"

Carmella looked up from the counter, startled. "You did?"

Nabiki nodded, and laid the book on the counter for Carmella to look at. Carmella silently read the cover, then flipped through the pages, pausing here and there to read a few details. She met Nabiki's eyes over the counter. "It's all here." She said, in slight awe.

Nabiki smiled. "That's good to hear."

Carmella shook her head. "Not really. Greg has eyes and ears everywhere. The second he gets wind that we have the book, he'll start planning his attack."

"Oh," Nabiki was a bit downtrodden. Then she straightened, a determined look on her face. "Well, then, we'd damn well better be ready for him when he comes. How many people do you know that could help us?"

Carmella stared at Nabiki for a moment, a smile slowly spreading on her face. "I'll get my address book out."

When Nabiki got home that night, she was exhausted, but happy. She and Carmella had contacted about two hundred of her associates in that three hour period, and even the ones who couldn't come were willing to help out however they could. People had started arriving before the first hour was up, and helped out, calling people they and Carmella knew. Twenty people had made it that day alone, and more would be coming in the next. Nabiki swore the shop grew to accommodate them, laws of physics be damned.

Nabiki let out a content sigh as she slipped out of her shoes and into her slippers. "I'm home!" she called.

"Welcome back!" Kasumi said, smiling brightly. "Auntie Saotome stopped by to drag Uncle Saotome home at last, and Father went to help him settle in, so we have the house to ourselves."

Nabiki smiled to herself. "That's good. Now we can finally clear out that guestroom."

Kasumi nodded. "Yes, I dare say it's been a long time since I've seen it without a panda."

"I know what you mean," Nabiki said, wistfully. "If there's one thing I _won't_ miss, though, it's the repair bills he and Ranma caused."

Kasumi smiled at this. "Why don't you sit down? I'll have dinner on the table in a few minutes."

"Okay." Nabiki sat seiza, then frowned at the slight pulsing from something in her pocket. "Say, Kasumi," she said, absently, "Do you think it's possible for someone to attract curses?"

"Oh," Kasumi said, dishing out some food for herself and her sister. "So you've found out." She sat down with a resigned sigh as Nabiki lifted a quizzical eyebrow. "I was wondering how long it would take you. I was, well, _told_ really when I was seven. I've had time to come to grips with it." She took a sip of her tea, eyes unfocused. "It's hard to know that you're the reason strange things keep happening in the world around you, particularly to your family and friends. I didn't think this was sweet, naïve front I put up would fool anyone for long, but it's worked for twelve years now."

"Kasumi…" Nabiki said, carefully. "Are you saying that you…"

Kasumi lightly rubbed her temples, then met Nabiki's gaze. "I'm a curse magnet. I've been that way since I was born. Something in my aura draws things like curses to the ones I love, and to me. You don't know how many times I've contemplated running away so you wouldn't have to deal with this, but each time I've realized that not only would I hurt you by leaving, you'd all come to look for me and get cursed in the process."

Nabiki looked at her older sister in awe. "I never would have guessed. How is it that you're still here?"

Kasumi laughed, somewhat bitterly. "The same thing that attracts curses to me also keeps me from being cursed myself. Ono was the one who told me, and Lord knows he took long enough getting it out, but he had a good reason. He has a strong negating affect on curses, but the strength of my 'magnetic force', shall we say, made it hard for him to do any work on curses around me. That's why he would always go into those strange fits when he was around me—he had a hard enough time keeping most of the curses already in place from tearing the town apart, and the concentration of inactivated curses around me didn't help. He left a while ago to see if he could find something that would help my… condition, but he's not back, so I guess that means he hasn't found one."

Both Nabiki's eyebrows were raised by the end of this speech. "And how he acts around you has nothing to do with how he feels about you?"

Kasumi's cheeks tinged pink. "Well, I would assume not…"

"How about your feelings towards him?"

Kasumi paled considerably. "Oh, my. I—I didn't think of that…"

Nabiki sighed as the pulsing quickened its tempo in urgency. "Well, I helped Ranma out, so now I suppose it's your turn." She pulled the orange Wish from her pocket. "Here, Kasumi. I should keep Doctor Tofu from going nuts when he sees you, and it might be able to cut down on the number of curses you attract."

Kasumi took the claw, and looked from it to her sister. "But, why?" She sounded confused as she looked.

"Because you aren't appreciated enough." Nabiki stated, flatly. "You work long and hard all day, you take care of us, you deal with all the stress that comes with attracting curses, and people hardly ever thank you. You deserve a little happiness, I would think."

Kasumi smiled warmly. "Thank you." She said, slipping the Wish around her neck. "I'll write to Ono as soon as I can to tell him he can come back."

Nabiki grinned. "You do that."

Kasumi caught her eye. "By the way, Nabiki, you've done something for me and Akane, but have you done anything for yourself?" She watched with amusement as Nabiki turned red. "I see you have. But I won't go prying into your private affairs. I _would_ like to know where Ranma and Akane _really_ are, though."

Nabiki grinned, sheepishly. "Promise not to tell Dad?"

"Of course."

"I gave Ranma a cure so he would go around the world with Akane and train her."

Kasumi lifted a delicate eyebrow. "But what do _you_ get out of the bargain?"

Nabiki shrugged. "Less property damage?"

Kasumi laughed. "Very well, I'll accept your reason. Now help me clear the table before Father gets back." Nabiki was glad to comply.

The phone rang while they were washing the dishes. "I'll get it," Nabiki said, drying off her hands.

"Alright."

Nabiki reached the phone before its second ring. "Hello?"

"Nabiki?" the voice on the other end asked.

"Carmella?" To say Nabiki was surprised would have been an understatement. "How did you get my number?"

"Worry about that later. Listen, a soothsayer just contacted one of my associates—he said the battle would be this Thursday night!"

=^-,-^=

Only one more chapter after this one. And an epilogue, but I'm going to be posting them one day apart as opposed to my usual two, because if I don't, you'll kill me. Hell, I'll be lucky if you don't kill me now! Anyhow, if anyone's confused by anything in this chapter, or in any of the others, drop me a line, and I'll see what I can do. See you soon!

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is property of Rumiko Takahashi, and therefore, not mine. I make no claim of it, and this piece of fan fiction is written purely for entertainment, not for money. The Cat's Wishes and Cursed Whisker powder are my concepts, and Carmella is my character, so you'd better ask before using them—or at least give me some credit. Thanks much!

--socchan


	14. Showdown

Interesting Times

By socchan

Chapter Thirteen: Showdown

As the sun set on Thursday night, Nabiki couldn't help her slight feeling of apprehension. She sat just outside Carmella's store, having vowed to help however she could. Kuno sat next to her, holding her hand, having made the same vow when he found out she would be fighting. A katana Carmella had put countless offensive and defensive spells on lay next to him. They stared in silence, watching as the sun went down, content just to be in each other's company.

"We could die tonight." Nabiki said, quietly.

"I know." Kuno replied, his voice equally soft.

"Whatever happens," Nabiki said, swallowing past a lump in her throat, "I want you to know that I love you."

Kuno let go of her hand to drape his arm over her shoulders, and pull her in close. "I know that, too. And so do I."

Tears pricked at Nabiki's eyes as she looked up at him. "Thanks for the best few weeks of my life."

"Ditto." They embraced silently for a moment as the sun finally dipped behind a hill. They broke apart reluctantly. "Come on, Kuno said, picking up his blade, "The others will be waiting."

Nabiki scrubbed at her eyes and nodded, rising to join him. As the last embers of the sunset died, her ears and canines elongated, twin tails sprouting from her back. Brown velvet fur rippled over her body, and amber eyes twinkled in the growing darkness. It was time; the battle was at hand.

Nabiki watched as space shifted around the store, opening to a wide field. At her side stood Kuno, three hundred or more mystics and other warriors at their backs, an army of unliving beings in front of them, led by a dark-haired youth. _Greg_, she thought with malice, extending her claws as he raised his arm. "One last chance, Carmella." His voice boomed across the field. "Give up the book!"

Carmella stepped out of the crowd, in front of Nabiki, glowing with power. "I will never surrender the book!" Her voice dripped with hatred, and echoed throughout the surrounding area.

Greg dropped his arm. "So be it; you've had your warning. Now face the consequences. Charge!" At once the army rushed forward to meet the mystics halfway. Kuno and Nabiki were met by a demonic figure before they had taken more than a few steps. Kuno drew his sword, and felled it with two strokes; they pressed on.

Something tickled at Nabiki's senses; she whirled around, and sunk her claws into the creature that was sneaking up behind her. It let out an unearthly scream as she ripped through it. Nabiki dropped its carcass, wiping off her bloodied claws and scanning the crowd for Kuno. She did not stop to think about the act she had just committed, knowing it would only make her sick. Instead, she focused only on her goal. Thus, she missed it when the beast she had just put down struggled to its feet.

A howl ripped through the air, and wind rushed past Nabiki as a black wolf with glowing amber eyes tore through the monster behind her. A tall boy in his late teens jogged up to her. "You okay?"

Nabiki nodded, slightly shaken. "Yeah, I'm fine. Have you seen a tall guy with a katana around? He isn't magic himself, but the sword is."

The boy shook his head. "Sorry; I'm new around here, so I don't recognize many people. I can help you look, though."

Nabiki nodded in appreciation. "Thanks. Come on, I think he was working towards the front."

The boy turned, put his fingers to his lips, and whistled two short notes. "Nyx! C'mon, let's go!" The black wolf looked up from where it was chewing at the remains of the creature that attacked Nabiki. It dropped the piece of rancid flesh that was in its jaws, and trotted up to the boy. The three of them fought their way to the front line.

Nabiki at last spotted Kuno as she tore a demon in half. There he was, slicing Greg's warriors up left and right, calling out her name. Nabiki glanced over her shoulder to the boy that helped her through. "I think I found him!" she called. "Thanks for your help!" The boy spared her a wave, then went back to directing the wolf as Nabiki jogged towards Kuno. "Kuno!" she called out, "Behind you!"

The Kendoist spun with ease born of a near lifetime of practice, slicing the demon that had been approaching him in two. He smiled when he saw Nabiki, and she smiled back. "There you are," he said, "I was afraid I'd lost you."

Nabiki took up a 'guard' position at his back, relying on her earliest childhood memories of the lessons her father had given her in the Art. "You did," she replied, "But I found my way back."

Carmella popped into existence beside them, Ryonen in tow. "Are you two alright?" she asked, raising her voice above the din.

"Yeah!" Nabiki called back, "We're good!"

Carmella nodded. "That's good! Greg seems to be retreating! I want you to fall back."

Kuno and Nabiki nodded. "Can do!" Kuno shouted.

"Alright! Get on it, and pass the message on to our forces as you go! I have to spread the word now. Good luck!" With that, Carmella was gone again, to some other part of the dismal battleground.

Kuno and Nabiki locked gazes. "Ready when you are." Nabiki said, half-smiling.

"Alright then; let's get going." The pair turned their attention back to the shop. They fought their way through the remainder of the hoard, when Nabiki saw someone she recognized; it was the boy who had helped her find Kuno.

"Hey!" she called out, voice carrying across the field. The boy and the wolf turned their heads from their latest kill. "Carmella says to fall back!" He nodded and smiled, then started jogging back to the store, picking over the corpses of demons and mystics alike, the wolf close behind him. Nabiki sighed in relief, but sucked it back in sharply as she saw a dark figure making stead progress in the shop's direction. "Oh, no…" she whispered. "We forgot to post a guard around the book!" She turned to face the boy beside her. "Kuno…"

His face was serious. "I know. Good luck, Nabiki." She leaned up and kissed him, briefly, then turned and ran towards the store before she could change her mind.

Nabiki ran, making use of a cat's quick reflexes to keep from falling. Soon, she had reached the place the book was hidden, just in time to place herself between it and the dark figure that had made its way down there. "Show yourself!" she growled, baring fangs and claws.

He figure chuckled and let the shadows concealing its features flow away. There stood what appeared to be an adolescent boy with dark hair and eyes: Greg. "A brave stand, young lady; unfortunately, a futile one. Now step down, or face the consequences."

Nabiki's eyes narrowed, and she let out a menacing hiss. "You'll never get this book."

Greg laughed. "Well, it seems that once again, I am facing off against a cat for the power I desire. And once again, the cat will perish."

"I may die," Nabiki whispered, forcefully, "But it will not be without cause. I will _not_ let you have this book, no matter what happens!"

Greg's eyes narrowed as he began to get angry. "Is that so, little cat? I think you don't know who you're dealing with." With that, his hand shot forward and through Nabiki's chest, pinning her neatly on his arm. She let out a choked gasp at the searing pain, not even noticing the blood flowing from her mouth. Wit disgust, Greg shook her off his arm, and kicked her side in distaste. "Foolish child." He muttered. "You could have lived if you had only let me have the book."

Nabiki clenched her eyes shut, knowing she had only seconds left to live. Focusing all the energy she had left, she willed it into the book, so that it would repel Greg when he touched it. She watched with fading vision as Greg approached the book, lifted it up, let out an outraged cry and dropped it as he became immaterial. She smirked as he vanished from sight. Then her mind turned to other things. "Kuno," she forced out, marveling at how much strength it took to form to words, "I… love… you…" Satisfied, Nabiki let her eyes fall closed, a content smile still on her face. Everything went black.

=^-,-^=

*winces* Good gravy, I pulled a JadeWing. That's it, I definitely need professional help. (for those of you who don't know, JadeWing is a writer who has a nasty habit of at least attempting to and sometimes succeeding in killing off one or more of the main characters in her fics.) Ah, well, it's not like I didn't do plenty of foreshadowing. If you honestly didn't see this coming, I apologize, and PLEASE don't kill me!!! If you're still confused, I can probably point out everywhere I foreshadowed Nabiki's death in the epilogue (which I will be posting tomorrow as a peace offering instead of in two days as I usually do). While I would prefer that you didn't kill me for writing this, I am still open to all types of reviews, so if you want to flame me, go ahead and do so. However, that doesn't mean I'll change anything. (While I am open to suggestions and requests, I only include them when I find them reasonable. Flames are anything but.) Thanks for your time, and I'll see you soon!

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is property of Rumiko Takahashi, and therefore, not mine. I make no claim of it, and this piece of fan fiction is written purely for entertainment, not for money. The Cat's Wishes and Cursed Whisker powder are my concepts, and Carmella is my character, so you'd better ask before using them—or at least give me some credit. Thanks much!

--socchan


	15. Curiosity and its Consequences

Interesting Times

By socchan

Epilogue: Curiosity and Its Consequences

Nabiki sat up in the vast space and looked around. "Where am I?" she asked, frowning.

"You are between worlds." A smooth, feminine voice answered. "The world of the living and the world of the dead." Nabiki looked up to see a rather tall woman with a cat's ears and tail, creamy skin, and dark hair and eyes. She smiled slightly, revealing long canines.

"Who are you?"

"I am Curiosity." The woman replied, a twinkle in her eye. "And I see that even in death you have not lost your connection to me. I am glad of that."

"Thanks, but…" Nabiki tried to think of what to say. "Why am I here, anyway?"

Curiosity chuckled. "Humans always were fun. You are here because there is a Wish left unfulfilled."

Nabiki frowned. "The red one? Why would that make any difference?"

"Because, my dear," Curiosity said, "it wanted _you_ to fulfill it. It wanted this to the extent that it would let you make a wish on it, and be fulfilled that way. In short," Curiosity leaned in close, "this Wish found its purpose in _you_, in trying to prevent history from repeating itself. This Wish is going to spend its energy bringing you back to life, because you still have things you need to do."

A scene appeared in the blackness, a picture of Nabiki's friends leaning over her still catlike body, trying to assess what should be done. As if following her will, the 'window' zoomed in and focused on one face in particular. "Kuno," Nabiki breathed, tears stinging at her eyes at the look of absolute desolation on his face.

"That's right," Curiosity told her, softly. "Kuno. The red Wish is very much tied into love, and feels that you need to survive for him. Are you willing to let it heal you and bring you back to life?"

Nabiki nodded. "Yes, I am."

Curiosity smiled with the same smug air as a cat. "Good. I would hate to see all this work go to waste." She made a motion in the air with her hand, and Nabiki began to dematerialize.

A thought struck Nabiki as she was fading out. "Hey," she said to Curiosity, "If Curiosity killed the cat, how come I'm getting a second chance?"

Curiosity chuckled ruefully. "My dear Nabiki," she said, sagely, "There's a _reason_ cats have nine lives…" That was the last thing Nabiki heard before she vanished from the place between worlds.

"…do you think we should do with her?"

"Notify her family, first. They'll definitely need to know."

The first thing Nabiki noticed, aside from the darkness and the muffled ache in her chest, was the sound of people talking. _People…_ Nabiki thought, absently. _I can do that…_ She set her analytical mind to work as she tried to make sense of the world around her. _Lesse here… The first voice is that guy with the wolf… The second one is Carmella._

"What should be done with the Wishes?" _Ah, Ryonen._

"I'm not sure." _Carmella again. I wonder if they even realize I'm not dead any more._

Nabiki strained her senses, and found a warm presence beside her. Someone was holding her hand as if it were made of glass. Something warm and wet plopped down on her cheek, and cut through the grime as gravity pulled it downward. Nabiki frowned inside. _Whoever it is is crying…_

Then came the whisper. It was soft and fragile, but Nabiki clung to it, relished it as evidence that she was, indeed, alive. "Nabiki…" Kuno whispered, mournfully. Nabiki took her cue, and dragged her eyelids open.

"You rang?" Nabiki rasped, vocal cords already unstable from the short time she'd been un-living.

Kuno's eyes widened in shock, and all conversation halted. "Nabiki…?" Kuno asked, afraid and hopeful all at once.

"It ain't the Pope."

"Oh my God, Nabiki, are you alright?" Carmella was at her side n an instant, checking her over.

Nabiki winced a bit. "Under the circumstances, I'd say I'm doing just peachy." Her eyes landed on the unfamiliar boy. "I never caught your name…"

"I'm Charlie." He said, with a false Shakespearean bow. Nabiki smiled, the action reminding her of Kuno.

"He's from a couple years in the future." Carmella explained. "Paradoxically, he's also in America, learning to control his new… gifts."

"Ah. Okay." Nabiki nodded. "I hope you don't mind if I just lie here a bit. I'm kinda tired, and it's been a long night, if you know what I mean."

"Of course." Carmella said. "Just one thing."

"What's that?"

"We all knew you were dead. Not that I'm unhappy or anything, but how is this possible?"

Nabiki smirked a bit, and tried to snuggle closer to Kuno without causing too much pain. Seeing her predicament, Kuno shifted and rested her head in his lap. "You know 'curiosity killed the cat'?"

"Yes," Carmella said.

Nabiki's smirk grew wider, a gentle touch to it that few would recognize as she gazed contentedly into Kuno's eyes. "Well, satisfaction brought it back."

End Interesting Times. Sort-of.

=^-,-^=

Jeez… you people didn't really think I'd let Nabiki _stay_ dead, did you? I mean, not even _JadeWing_ is _that_ cruel…

I planned this from the very beginning. I did a lot of planning, but it was very loose, so details in the story changed as I actually wrote them down. I admit it, I'm a sucker for happy endings. I'm even happier with _good_ endings, though, so I hope this one fit into both categories.

Inspiration for this story comes from many sources. The fic _Putting Your Heart In the Right Place_, the author's name I have completely forgotten at the moment; various bits and pieces by metroanime in which Nabiki is turned into a catgirl; the fic _Catalyst_ by Jaelle; Ryoga getting his sense of direction was inspired by _Lost Days Lamenting Lost Days_ by ashes2ashes; and Carmella and her shop were quite likely inspired by Bruce Coville. I'm sorry if I've gotten any information wrong. I have no idea where the rest of it came from, other than my friend frequently replying to 'Curiosity Killed the Cat' in the above manner one too many times.

Things you may have noticed: The colors of the Wishes go backwards from highest frequency to lowest. This is one of the things I planned that actually stayed intact. I layed out the order in which the Wishes were received and by whom on the top of page six of the hard copy, and there it remains. I also never named Carmella's shop. This may be because I didn't feel it needed a name, or because I was just lazy. Whatever the reason, it's too late to change it now.

Things I felt were bad about this fic: Carmella was _this_ close to being over-used. Maybe she already was. Any closer and people would have seen her as a Self-Insert. And maybe they'd have been right, I don't know. I certainly didn't intend her to be one. Also, I'm not particularly happy with how I portrayed Ryoga, but I suppose I can make up for that should I ever write that sequel.

Lastly, it's time to hand out the thanks. I'd like to thank you, the reader, for putting up with this fic, though I imagine the frequent updates helped. I'd like to thank my reviewers, particularly Paru-chan for requesting something that I hadn't already done, Weeping Willow for being so enthusiastic, and BlazeStryker simply for reviewing. I'd also like to thank Sailor Veggie and Sailor Anime (I got it right this time!) for being the first to put me on their favorites list. It touched me, it really did. I'd like to thank all my friends at the Guestbook who stopped to read and review, even though they didn't have any idea who or what Ranma was. And lastly, I'd like to thank Teo, fellow author and friend, for encouraging me to post this thing in the first place.

I'm all choked up now. I'm going to go ahead and post this thing before I start crying. Don't forget to read the Extra!

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is property of Rumiko Takahashi, and therefore, not mine. I make no claim of it, and this piece of fan fiction is written purely for entertainment, not for money. The Cat's Wishes and Cursed Whisker powder are my concepts, and Carmella is my character, so you'd better ask before using them—or at least give me some credit. Thanks much!

--socchan


	16. Interesting Times Extra

Interesting Times: Extra

By socchan

Hints of the Future

It was a good week after the battle, and Carmella had finally allowed Nabiki to come back and work at the store, after assurances that her injuries were completely healed. Nabiki, for one, was happy to settle back into the quiet routine she had grown accustomed to. Dr. Tofu had arrived a few days ago, and, to Nabiki's delight, been in perfect control around Kasumi. They had a date planned soon, though neither one of them had realized what it was yet. Nabiki grinned; her sisters could be so clueless sometimes. Not that she was one to talk, she admonished, silently, but it was more amusing when it happened to other people.

The Norse bell rang, and Nabiki looked up from where she was manning the counter. Carmella was in the back room, sorting out a few things to put on display.

"I still don't see why we even have to come here, bitch." A male voice growled out.

"Oh, shut up, Inu-Yasha." A female one replied. "You're the one who insisted we check out any weird energy I feel."

"Yeah, but you said this doesn't feel anything like a shard, so I don't see why we have to check it out."

The girl snorted. "It's the principal of the matter! If I turn my head to one weird feeling, and later it turns out to be some monster that's planning to attack me in the middle of the night, then what am I supposed to do, hmm? Would it still have been a good idea not to check it out when it might have been docile?"

"Keh. I still don't see why you're making me wear these weird clothes."

"You're drawing enough attention to yourself just by bringing the Tetsusaiga along. I don't need you prancing around in your hakama, too." Nabiki mentally smirked as an early image of Kuno came to mind. Then she frowned; something was quite familiar about what these people were saying, she just couldn't place what.

She stifled the urge to gape as she finally took a serious look at the people in the store. Training took over, and she smiled brightly at the pair in the store. "Good afternoon. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Inu-Yasha and Kagome turned quickly to face Nabiki, the former with an astounded look on his face, the latter with a pleasant smile. "No, we're just looking around, thanks. We'll tell you if we need anything, though."

Nabiki nodded. "Alright then. Just be careful what you touch. Not everything in here is entirely safe." She leveled her gaze at the hanyou in particular, who looked away with a snort after a moment. Nabiki smiled inside; she knew he'd listen.

As Nabiki watched the two mill around the store, one last thought entered her head: Once she got over the shock, she was seriously going to give Carmella hell for not warning her two of her favorite comic book characters would be visiting.

=^-,-^=

And that, I do believe, is that.

This last bit is for one of my reviewers, who felt I didn't need to know who they were. S/he said I needed to write a scene in which Inu-Yasha and co. visit the store, and I soon discovered, s/he was right. I couldn't leave without writing this last little bit. So, 'No Need To Know,' whoever you are, wherever you are, this is for you. Hope you enjoyed ^_^!

Almost forgot. Anyone who wants to see a sequel, raise your hand. The one I'm thinking about doing will be starring Ranma and Akane, with guest appearances (at least) by Ryoga and Mousse. I still need to think of a plot for it, though, so don't expect it any time soon. Maybe you have some ideas?

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ and Inu-Yasha are the property of Rumiko Takahashi, and therefore, not mine. I make no claim of it, and this piece of fan fiction is written purely for entertainment, not for money. The Cat's Wishes and Cursed Whisker powder are my concepts, and Carmella is my character, so you'd better ask before using them—or at least give me some credit. Thanks much!

See you next time!

--socchan


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